Fragile Innocence
by Gabby Bard
Summary: Xena and Gabrielle try to help an abused child.
1. Default Chapter

FragileInnocence ****

Disclaimer: Xena, Gabrielle, Ephiny, Solari, and Argo are property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance. I in no way intend to infringe on their copyright. All other characters in the story are my own creation. Also, the poem "Fragile Innocence" is mine. If you'd like to use it, please ask me first.

****

Warning: This story deals with the aftermath of physical and sexual child abuse. Though it is not in great detail, this story does have a dark theme. There are moments of humor scattered throughout but it is not intended to be a comedy. Please proceed with caution, especially if you are particularly sensitive to this subject. There is also mild use of cuss words, nothing too severe though.

Fragile Innocence

by [Gabby Bard ][1]

Part 1

"How much longer is it to Athens?" Gabrielle asked impatiently.

"Hopefully not much longer, it looks like its about to rain," Xena said looking up at the dark and foreboding sky.

"I sure hope so, my behind is so numb I can barely feel it," she complained. That was one of the many reasons Gabrielle didn't like riding Argo. 

The warrior chuckled. "Hang on Gabs, it isn't much further."

Sure enough, they soon arrived on the outskirts of the city just as it began to downpour. Xena quickly directed them to an inn and rode Argo into the stable.

Gabrielle slid off the mare and began to stretch her legs happily as Xena brushed off the animal. "If I never ride Argo again it will be too soon." The honey-haired woman remarked as she rumaged around in the saddle bags for the money pouch.

The warrior grunted. "Remind me never to get you a horse." She replied and put Argo's brush away.

Having secured the mare in her stall, the duo left the stables and hurried through the rain into the inn. They shook the rain from their hair and clothes and Xena offered to get a table while Gabrielle ordered the food. 

The smaller woman walked up to the bar and looked around for the owner. He was no where in sight. She had just sat down on a stool to wait when she began to overhear a conversation coming from a table about three feet from her:

"..no! And you don't get no dessert either. Such things shouldn't be wasted on worthless kids." This was coming from the mouth of an elderly gray haired woman with a sour face and more wrinkles than a stale prune. She was sitting next to an ancient looking man with a turned-down nose and a slightly different version of disapproval etched on his face. Opposite them was a small girl of about six or seven years with messy dark blonde hair and a solemn face, to whom the old woman was talking. Gabrielle listened quietly, feeling sorry for the child. 

"Yes, ma'am," the little one said so quietly it was nearly inaudible. 

Satisfied that she had gotten the point across, the crachety woman returned her attention to her food. The old man stared blankly into his mug of ale, saying nothing.

The child scanned the room with longing eyes and finally rested her gaze on Gabrielle. The bard smiled warmly at the little girl and waved.

The little girl returned the expression with a cautious yet delighted smile. But as soon as she lifted her hand to wave, the old man broke out of his trance and slapped her hand. "Keep your hands to yourself," he snapped and went back to staring into his drink.

The girl didn't say a word or cry a single tear. She simply drew her reddened hand back down by her side and looked up at the bard with the saddest blue eyes Gabrielle had ever seen. It was all the bard could do not to rush right over and take the poor kid into her arms. She was still staring down into the girl's eyes when an impatient voice interrupted her thoughts:

"Hello? Miss?" The bar keeper was drumming his fingers on the counter, waiting for the young woman to speak.

"I...um..." she faltered, reluctantly taking her eyes off the child.

"Come on, miss. I got an inn full of customers wantin' my attention. If ya don't wanna order, I gotta get movin'."

"Oh I'm sorry," Gabrielle said quickly and handed him some money. "I'd like to order two bowls of beef stew, two glasses of mead, and one room for my friend and I."

The innkeeper gave her a short nod and took the dinars. "Yar food will be here in a minute."

As he disappeared, Gabrielle looked again at the table with the little girl and saw the three of them getting up to leave. The bard watched with ever curious eyes as they hurried out the door pushing the little girl ahead of them. *Please send someone to help that little girl,* Gabrielle silently prayed to the gods, completely unaware that she would be the answer to her prayer.

"Here's yar food, miss." The voice of the innkeeper once again broke her thoughts as he handed her the tray of food along with the key to their room.

"Thanks," The slim woman answered distractedly as the man began to turn away. "Wait, one more thing..."

He turned back around, slightly annoyed. "Yea?"

"Do you know anything about that little girl that was just in here with that old man and woman? What's her name? Are those her parents?"

"Listen lady," the innkeeper cut in before she could ask more questions. "I don't know nuthin' about 'em except that they come in here once every few seasons. They just started bringin' the kid last year. Dunno if its theirs or not."

Gabrielle sighed, dissatisfied with the answer. "Well thanks anyway," she said and carried the tray over to the table Xena had reserved. 

"What took you so long?" Xena asked looking impatient.

Gabrielle decided against telling her friend about the child, at least for now. "I'm sorry Xena, the innkeeper was really busy." She sat in the chair across from the warrior.

"Are you sure that's all? You look upset." The woman's keen eyes picked up on the bard's distracted, preoccupied look. 

"No, I'm fine. Really." Gabrielle forced a smile and the warrior decided to let the issue go for the moment. But about halfway through the meal Xena noticed her friend was barely eating and kept glancing worriedly out the window.

The dark haired woman set her spoon down and laid a hand on the bard's forearm. "Gabrielle," Xena began quietly so as not to jar the woman from her thoughts. "I know something is wrong. I can see it in your eyes."

The small blonde sighed. Xena knew her too well for her to effectively hide anything. "You're right...something is bothering me." The warrior looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. "Did you happen to see those two elderly people in here earlier? The ones with the little girl?"

Xena's brow furrowed. What did they have to do with anything? "I saw them briefly on their way out. Why?"

"Well, those two old people were really mean to the girl." 

"How do you mean?"

"They told her she was worthless, that she couldn't have any dessert, and they smacked her hand."

The warrior's instinctive anger subsided a bit. "Is that all? Gabrielle, a pat on the hand and withholding sugar is common discipline with children. As far as what you heard about her being called worthless, maybe you just heard wrong."

Gabrielle sighed. Maybe Xena is right, she thought to herself. "I guess you're right, maybe I was overreacting," she said, although that nagging feeling in her stomach that told her something more was wrong didn't go away.

Xena smiled. "Its understandable. We're all a little defensive when it comes to kids."

"Yeah, I guess." The bard shrugged slightly. "Look, I'm really tired. Would you mind if I just went up to bed?"

"Sure, no problem. I'm done eating, so I'm ready to go up too." She finished the last swig of mead and followed her friend up the stairs of the inn. 

As soon as they got inside the room, Gabrielle kicked off her boots and plopped down unceramoniously onto one of the beds. She folded her arms behind her head and laid back. "Gods, I'm exhausted," she announced with a yawn.

"I noticed," the warrior remarked, beginning to remove her armor. 

"Can you blame me? We've been traveling for six days straight. And not under the best conditions, I might add."

Xena gave the younger woman an amused look. "That was nothing. When I had my army we used to travel for weeks at a time without many breaks." She tossed her leather and armor onto a nearby chair.

"Well, I'm not one of your soldiers Xena," Gabrielle said with closed eyes. "I need my beauty rest, and often too." In a swift move, she tossed a pillow over at the warrior with a smirk.

Xena chuckled as she caught the pillow. "You don't need beauty rest, Gab. You're already perfect." She sent the pillow back to the smirking woman and climbed into her own bed. "G'night," she said turning over to face the wall, not giving her friend a chance to reply. 

The bard reached over and blew out the latern, smiling at no one in particular. "Goodnight Xena." 

************

Sometime in the middle of the night, Gabrielle awoke with a strange feeling in her stomach. She sat up and strained her eyes to see through the darkness of the room. Nothing seemed to be amiss and the only sounds were the muffled voices of the bar tender and late night drinkers below, and the soft snoring of Xena. 

The bard tried to lay back down and return to sleep, but something compelled her to want to get up. And do what? she wondered. *The stables. Go to the stables,* the voice in the back of her mind offered. 

Unsure of why she was doing so, but unable to rid herself of the persisting feelings, Gabrielle climbed out of bed and put on her boots. She then tiptoed across the floor, retrieved her staff, and slipped quietly out the door. 

Once out into the dimly lit hall, she looked from left to right and breathed a sigh of relief when she was certain there was no one around. A woman walking down a dim hall alone at night could attract some unwanted attention. Not that she couldn't handle it, but it wasn't something she wanted to deal with if she could help it.

Gabrielle followed the corridor to the right and exited the inn from the backway, so as not to have to pass the bar which no doubt held some filthy, drunken men. 

When she reached the outside, she encountered a tall, well-built, gruff-looking man. Doubtfully, she tried to walk past him without provoking some kind of reaction. No such luck. The man stopped her by putting a strong hand on her shoulder. "Well, now aren't you a pretty little thing. Where are you going alone on such a dark night?"

Gabrielle shrugged his hand off. "None of your business." She tried moving on but he grabbed her elbow and spun her around to face him.

"I'm not done with you yet." The burly man pulled her close to his chest and grinned down menacingly at her. His breath, so strong with liquor and the smell of old meat, made her stomach turn.

"Too bad I can't say the same for you." The bard smiled with mock sweetness and shoved her knee hard into his groin. 

The offender doubled over in blinding pain. "Bitch," he murmured through gritted teeth.

"Thanks. I'm flattered." Gabrielle lifted her staff and brought it down forcefully across the back of his head, instantly sending him into Morpheus's arms. She watched with a satisfied look as he slumped to the ground.

Having dealt with him, she continued on her way to the stables. When she arrived, Gabrielle quietly opened the door and peeked inside. All was dark and silent. She took the latern hanging on the outer wall of the building and lit it as she stepped inside. 

The bard peered around the now lit room. Nothing seemed abnormal. Argo was still in her stall and snickered when she saw the fair-haired woman, as if to question her presence. 

"I'm not sure why I'm here either, girl," Gabrielle said patting the mare on the flank. She looked around once more before preparing to leave. "I've got to stop listening to these impulses." But as she turned around to go, a sound like that of a hiccup and sniffle combined came from the back of the stables. 

Startled by the noise, Gabrielle spun around and saw some movement in the corner. "Who's there?" she called out, instinctively her hands tightened on her staff. The movement stopped. "I know you're there. Show yourself," she demanded.

Moments later, a small blonde head poked itself out from behind a mound of hay. 

A child! "You can come out, I won't hurt you," she said, dropping her staff and the defensive tone. The child didn't move, she simply stared at the bard with mistrust.

"Its okay, really. I mean you no harm." Gabrielle insisted, dropping to her knees so that she could be eye level with her.

What seemed like hours later, the girl slowly emerged from behind the straw and started toward the kind-faced woman. A bleak sense of relief went through her when she recognized her from the inn.

Gabrielle's eyes widened as she, too, had a moment of recognition. "You're the girl I saw in the inn earlier," she blurted out. She was taken aback by the child's haggard appearance. The girl was wearing a very tattered, dirty, blue dress that hung off of her thin shoulders. Her face had the remnants of recent tears and there was a large, fresh bruise above her left eyebrow. Additionally, there were several other bruises and marks on her arms and legs. Gabrielle was scared to think of what injuries lay beneath the dress. Eventually she asked, "What's your name? And how old are you?" 

"Rhiannon," she whispered between hiccups. "I'm seven."

By Zues, what was a child so young doing out here alone? "That's a pretty name, Rhiannon. I'm Gabrielle." She smiled. "But what are you doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be with those people I saw you with earlier?"

Rhiannon shook her head 'no'. "They sleep in the inn. I'm supposed to sleep out here to gaurd their horse," she said almost inaudibly.

The horse?! What about someone protecting you? Gabrielle thought and shuddered at the realization of the danger the child was in. With all the men, most of which are drunk, that rode in and out of there all night, it wasn't a good scenario. 

Rhiannon shivered despite the warmth of the night air. There was no time to ask questions right now, this girl needed help. The bard reached out to take the girl's hand, but she cowered, afraid of being hit. 

These kids are skiddish, Gabrielle reminded herself with a frown. "I won't hurt you. You don't have to be afraid of me." She held her hand out at a comfortable distance. 

This time, Rhiannon put her hand into the bigger one of Gabrielle's. Besides, what did she have to lose? This woman couldn't hurt her any more than she'd already been hurt. "Okay," she whispered with trepidation.

The woman led her over to Argo and rummaged around in the saddle bags until she found the spare blanket she was looking for. She was just wrapping the girl in it when a tall, dark shadow loomed in the doorway.

Gabrielle turned quickly, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh Xena, its only you." Her friend was standing a few feet away dressed only in her shift, hair mussed, sword in hand. 

"Were you expecting someone else? I heard you leave the room but I thought I'd give you the benefit of a headstart before following you." Out of the corner of her eye, a shaking figure under a blanket caught her attention. "What's going on?" She pointed her sword at it. "What or who is that?"

"For gods' sakes Xena, put the sword down, its just a child." Gabrielle bent down by the girl. "Its okay Rhiannon, you can come out. That's my best friend Xena. She won't hurt you either." Two little eyes peeked out from the covering of flannel and the bard gave the warrior a warning look to lower her sword. 

With an arched eyebrow, Xena did as she was bid. "Okay Gab, you wanna tell me what I'm missing here?"

"Xena, this is Rhiannon. She's the girl I told you I saw earlier. Remember?"

The warrior nodded vaguely. "So why is she out here and not with her parents?"

"That's just it. Those people, whoever they are, make her sleep out here all alone because they want her to protect their horse. Can you believe that?"

"Are you sure Gabrielle? That sounds a little strange..." Xena remarked, knowing that her companion had an overactive imagination at times. 

The smaller woman gave her friend a look. "Why would I make up something like this? Besides, just look at her." She glanced at Rhiannon. "Would you please come over here for a second, honey?"

Too scared to say no, the child stepped out of the blanket and stood between the two. Xena immeadiately noted the girl's gaunt look and superficial injuries. Placing her sword on the ground, she squatted down in front the girl. "Where did you get these bruises Rhiannon?" While waiting for an answer, she glanced up at Gabrielle and was surprised to find rage and hate in the normally placid green eyes. 

"Jorius, my grandfather, pushed me 'cause I wasn't moving fast enough. I fell and hit my head on the steps outside the inn." Her voice came in a broken whisper, as was so common with children of abuse. "That's where I got this." She indicated the painful mark above her brow. 

Xena fought back anger. "And these?" She ran her index finger ever so lightly along the bruises on Rhi's arm.

The little girl swallowed. "They hurt me when I'm bad. Its called 'treatment'," she said simply, leaving those horrific words hanging like a raincloud in the silence of the room.

"That woman I saw is your grandmother? And she hurts you too?"

Rhiannon nodded. 

The warrior glanced at Gabrielle again, who was staring at the child with an unreadable expression. "Well, we'll just have to take her to the local authorities tomorrow and report her grandparents," she said determinedly. 

"No!" Rhiannon suddenly exclaimed, for the first time raising her voice above a whisper. "You can't tell anyone what I told you! Especially not Jorius and Avella!"

Gabrielle, now out of her trance, bent down and looked the frightened being in the eyes. "We need to tell them. Someone has to stop them from hurting you."

"_No_! Jorius will kill me. He swore he would if I ever told." 

"We won't let him hurt you anymore," Gabrielle began again, but the girl wouldn't be persuaded. 

"He knows men who kill for a living and they'll come after me...then you." Rhiannon shook her head violently from side to side. "You can't, you can't, you can't!!! If you tell, I'll just deny it!"

Seeing the child near hysterics, they unanimously decided not to push it. "Then I guess we'll just have to take you with us," Gabrielle said suddenly.

Xena gave the bard a sharp look. "Gabrielle, may I have a word with you?" she interjected. She flashed Rhiannon a reassuring smile before dragging her quick-mouthed friend off to the side.

"Are you out of your mind?" Xena hissed the moment they were out of earshot. "We can't take her with us!"

"Why?"

"Two reasons: A.) She's not our child. B.) Its far too dangerous for her."

"Xena!" Gabrielle protested in the same hushed voice. "We can't leave her here. She's been abused so bad, who knows how long she'll survive it?"

"We'll have to convince her to turn her grandparents in. She doesn't realize she'll be protected if she does."

"You can't gaurantee that. And you saw how terrified she was at the thought of turning them in. Face it, its not going to happen. Xena, we have to take her with us."

"Its not our place Gabrielle!"

"Maybe its not _your _place, but its mine," Gabrielle argued vehemently. She was a heartbeat away from stomping her foot childishly. "Don't you see?" She continued, her voice softening. "This child who has been beaten and broken, and who obviously has a tremendously difficult time trusting, opened up to us--complete strangers--and told us about it. Doesn't that tell you something? Rhiannon's looking for someone to believe in her; to protect her."

"Xena, if we leave her here, she'll die. And I will never forgive myself for knowing her situation and not doing what I could to help." She looked beseechingly at her best friend; the one who had always protected her, who loved her. Now she wanted so much to give that to another who so desperately needed it. "Please. Please let her come with us."

The warrior stood silent for a minute, weighing those words. She had many oppositions to the idea, but there was something in Gabrielle's voice...something that seemed to almost be brought up from the past that struck a nerve in her. And the way her friend was looking at her, almost begging..she couldn't refuse. "You know you can't run away from problems, Gab. They'll follow you wherever you go," she reminded her. "But fine. She can stay with us for awhile. No promises on how long though." It wasn't that she didn't care. But Xena knew all too well what consequences this move could have on everyone. And she wasn't sure her friend could stand losing another child.

The bard heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you Xena. Really."

Xena gave a short nod and retrieved her sword. "I'll go get the stuff from our room. Stay here with Rhiannon." She turned and exited the stables.

Gabrielle turned back to Rhiannon with a smile. "Did you hear that? You can come with us. That is if you want to..." she just now realized neither one of them had actually asked the girl if she wanted to leave with them.

The child studied the woman's face through pale blue eyes. She wasn't sure that she could fully trust the bard yet, and Xena was even more questionable. But on the other hand, they couldn't be any worse to her than Avella and Jorius were. And there was something about the little bard that disarmed her; something sincere and loving about her that reminded her of a time so long ago. "Yes, I want to," she answered finally with a weak smile.

Gabrielle reached out and took Rhiannon's hand, giving it a little squeeze. "I'm glad to hear it." She smiled and led her again back to Argo. "Here, you take this and have a seat while I get Argo ready, ok?" she asked, after adjusting the blanket around the girl's small shoulders. 

Rhiannon sat on a pile of hay and watched as Gabrielle saddled the mare. Her eyes fell upon the food bag, and her mouth instantly began to water. The bard must have heard her gulp for she turned around. 

"Are you hungry, Rhiannon?" she asked, following the child's gaze to the food bag.

When the girl shook her head yes, she hurried to remove a generous slice of white cheese and a handful of figs from the pouch. "Here you go," she announced with a smile, placing the food into the little hands. 

"Thank you," Rhi mumbled between bites. Gods, she couldn't remember the last time she ate. She munched hungrily and she continued to watch her new found friend. Maybe these people were going to be the ones who would break the cycle of violence she had fallen prey to. 

Gabrielle was just backing the mare out of the stall when Xena reappeared her full attire and their items in hand. "That man lying unconcious outside, is that your handiwork?" she addressed her companion while stuffing the saddle bags.

"Is he big and ugly?"

"That's a matter of opinion, but I'd say yeah."

"Then yeah, that's my 'handiwork'. He was giving me a hassle so I knocked him out," she replied with a smirk.

"I'm impressed," Xena said approvingly. "I don't think he'll be waking any time soon." She swung herself up on Argo and looked down at the child. "I hope you don't mind riding Rhiannon. Traveling will be a whole lot faster if we ride."

"Okay," she said quietly and the bard lifted her, blankets and all, up to Xena who set her in front. 

"Come on Gabrielle, you too." Xena held out her hand.

"Me too? Is there enough room?" Gabrielle looked uncertainly at the small space in the back of the saddle. 

"It'll be a tight fit but we need to leave the village quickly. C'mon." 

This time the blonde complied and wrapped her right arm around Xena's waist, her left hand holding her staff. The warrior took a similar position, wrapping one arm around Rhiannon and taking the reins with the other. 

"Yah! Let's go Argo." Xena snapped the reins and the horse obediently left the stables.

*************

They rode as far as they could until the sun began to peek its brilliant head over the horizon. Xena knew it was time for a break. Gabrielle was alseep against her back, Rhiannon against her stomach. Everything from her waist down was numb from inactivity.

Finding a small, shady grove of trees not far off the path, Xena rode Argo over to it and commanded her to stop. "Come on, sleepyheads, its time to get down." She patted her friend's arm to wake her. 

"Mmm?" the bard mumbled and reluctantly opened her eyes. 

"We're going to take a rest here. But I need you to hop down first and get Rhiannon, ok?"

Gabrielle came to quickly now remembering the child they had acquired last night. Without hesitation she dismounted and stood next to the mare with open arms. Rhiannon was just beginning to wake. 

Getting over her initial disorientation, the child smiled at the pleasant face that greeted her. "Morning," she said in her whispery voice as she slid into the welcoming arms.

Gabrielle gave her a gentle hug. "Good morning." She set her down on her feet and took her hand. "Let's go set up a fire, huh?" She tossed a half-smile to Xena before taking the girl off into the nearby woods to gather wood.

About a candlemark later, everyone one had finished breakfast and was sitting around the fire. Xena was, as usual, sharpening her sword and Rhi was leaning drowsily aganst the bard. 

An uneasy quiet was settling on the camp, so Gabrielle decided to speak up. "Hey, how about a swim? We'll be able to scrub all that mud off your face," she said grinning at the child.

"I don't know how to swim."

"That's okay, we don't have to actually swim. We can just wade around a bit. Does that sound like a good idea to you?"

Rhiannon thought it over a moment before answering. The idea was more appealing than just sitting there feeling terrified over the decision she had made last night. "Sure. But where's the water?"

"There's a small stream stream behind that patch of trees there," Xena answered, looking up from her sword. 

"Why don't you go on ahead and I'll be there in a second, ok?" The fair-haired woman suggested with a smile. 

Agreeably, the child started off toward the water without question or protest. Once she had left, Gabrielle turned to her friend. "Xena, is there something wrong? You've barely said two words all morning."

Xena again lifted her eyes from her sword to meet the deep jade pools of her friend. "No, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking of what we're going to do about Rhiannon's situation."

Gabrielle nodded in understanding. Laying a gentle hand on the warrior's forearm she smiled reassuringly, her eyes full of faith and admiration. "You'll think of something. You always do," she said seriously. "Why don't you come with us for a dip in the stream? It'll do you some good."

Xena gazed at the bard for a long moment, grateful for her attentive concern and limitless confidence. "Sure, I'll be along in a minute. Just let me get Argo. I'll take her down to the water for a drink."

Gabrielle gave her friend a satisfied smile and patted her arm. "Good." She stood up and jogged over to Rhiannon. "Gotcha!" She grinned, tickling the girl's ribs lightly. 

Rhiannon started to giggle too, until she reached a certain part on her ribs. "Ow."

The bard's hand recoiled as if she'd touched a flame. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"Uh no..its just...nothing." Rhiannon looked around desperately searching for something on which to refocus her attention. Fortunately, they were just coming upon the stream. "Oh look, we're here." She knew it was a flimsy attempt at a subject change, but it was all she could come up with.

Completely disbelieving, Gabrielle's eyebrow rose in a manner similiar to that of Xena's. But because the girl was apparently trying hard to defer the topic, she decided not to pursue it further at the moment. "Alright, if you're sure..." She gave her a concerned look before beginning to undress. 

When finished, she turned back to the child. "Do you need help undressing?"

Rhiannon bit the inside of her lower lip. How would she get out of this one? "C-can I swim..swim with my dress on?" 

Chalking it up to being bashful, the woman didn't think the question too strange. After all, she wasn't sure she'd like to undress around people she'd only known for a few hours anyway. "Sure Rhi, if that's what you want." She smiled and waited until she'd taken her sandals off before leading her by the hand to the water's edge. 

They walked in until the water reached Rhiannon's knees. There, Gabrielle knelt down and dipped the cloth she'd brought into the cool water. "Let's shine up that little face of yours, shall we?" 

She gently wiped every inch of the small, thin face, making sure to catch the areas behind her ears and on the neck. Finishing that task, she sat back to survey her work. The bard was astonished at how ethereal-looking the child was without all the grit and grime. The girl's large, doe-like eyes were laced by long, dark lashes. She had a heart shaped face with fair skin and a light sprinkle of freckles adorned the bridge of her nose. 

"You're beautiful," Gabrielle mused aloud. 

Rhiannon turned a shade of crimson. "Thank you."

Gabrielle smiled. "Do you want to go out a bit further?" When the answer came back 'yes', they walked hand in hand out into the water. After a few yards, the stream came up to Rhiannon's shoulders. 

"No more, its too deep," she said shakily. 

"Here," Gabrielle said, scooping the girl up in her arms. "now we can go out further." 

"N-no...we'll drown. Please don't go out any further."

"Okay, alright." Gabrielle complied taking them a few feet back. "Is this better?"

"Um hum."

"Good. Do you want me to teach you how to float?"

"Is it hard?"

"Nah, not at all. Here let me show you." 

Xena had been watching the two interact from a large clump of foliage. She watched as the bard taught the girl how to float on her back. It always amazed her the way her friend could disarm even the most gaurded of people.

"Look Rhi, you've got the hang of it!" Gabrielle exclaimed.

Rhiannon smiled and kicked herself onto her back and floated in a little circle.

Xena smiled in spite of herself. "Oh Gab, you'd make such a good mother. I wish I could take back what I did to Hope," she whispered to herself as her friend spotted her. 

"Come on in Xe! Come see what Rhiannon learned," she called, waving her over.

The warrior tugged on Argo's reins and emerged from the bushes. "On my way Gabrielle!"

They swam for a long while, soaking up the sun and cool water. Around midday though, the bard's stomach began to rumble. "You know Xena, I think my stomach is telling me its time for lunch."

Xena, who had been floating on her back, righted herself. "Oh really? Your stomach seems to be a bigger conversationalist than you."

Gabrielle sent a splash of water at her companion. "Maybe so, but I don't think I'm the only hungry tummy here." She tossed a glance over at Rhiannon who was a few feet away working on her doggy paddle. 

Xena nodded with understanding. "As long as I'm here, I'll catch us some fish.Why don't you take Rhi back to camp and dry her off in the mean time."

"Will do." She turned to the girl. "You hungry, hon?"

Rhiannon swam up to her. "Yep, a little. Are we getting out of the water now?"

"Yeah. Any longer in here and you'll turn into a prune."

Rhiannon smiled slightly as Gabrielle picked her up. "C'mon you little mermaid, let's get you dried off."

Once they reached the shore she set the child down on the sand while she got herself dressed. Gabrielle was just slipping on her skirt when she felt something hit the side of her head. Startled, she looked around to see what caused the offending blow. Next to her left foot lay a big bluegill. She picked it up by the tail and turned around in time to see the bronze warrior emerge from the water with an armful of fish. 

"Very funny Xena." She smirked.

Xena chuckled. "Rhiannon thought so." She winked at the little girl and unloaded the fish into Gabrielle's arms. "Here ya go."

Gabrielle gave the raven haired woman a good natured glare before heading up the path. Once her and Rhiannon reached the camp, she piled the fish into a pan and went over to the girl in time to see her shivering. "Let's get you out of those wet clothes." She reached out to pull the dripping rag off her but Rhi drew back suddenly. 

"What is it, Rhi?"

"I don't want my dress off."

"Well you're shivering, we need to put you into something dry." Gabrielle gave her a sympathetic look. "Its okay, really."

Rhiannon dropped her head as a sign of resignation. She couldn't fight this anymore. 

The bard reached forward slowly, carefully and pulled the dress up and over her head. She was in no way prepared for what she saw. With a gasp, she dropped the dress. It fell to the ground lying abandonded and forgotten.

Yes, Gabrielle knew the child was thin, but now standing there stark naked, it was obvious the girl was very malnourished. Her pale skin was stretched taut across exposed hip and rib bones. Her spine jutted out so far, the bard was sure the vertebrate would break the skin any second. But even more disturbing than that were the five large bruises scattered across Rhiannon's torso. Two were on her left side of her rib cage, one on the right, one near her spine, and one right on the bottom of her pelvic bone that made Gabrielle shudder. For one to be in that region would mean someone had touched her there. Not a common place for just a haphazard blow. 

"By the gods," the bard choked in horror.

Rhiannon stood there shaking like a leaf in the wind, so full of pain and embarrassment that she couldn't bring herself to look up at the woman. 

The bard repressed a sob and gently lifted the girl's chin so that their eyes met. Her heart nearly broke in two when she saw the pain written on Rhiannon's face. "Oh you poor thing." She pulled the damp, naked frame into her arms and wrapped the flannel blanket around her as Rhiannon collapsed into her chest and wept.

"Shhh, its okay." Gabrielle cooed in the crying child's ear as she soothingly stroked the damp hair. It took no more than a few minutes for the desperate sound of the small child's anguish to cause a torrent of tears to flood down her own cheeks.

Xena was just entering the clearing when she saw the humbling scene being played out before her. Rushing to their side, her face clouded with concern, she questioned Gabrielle. "What's wrong? What it is?"

The bard replied by shaking her head and mouthing "later".

Xena responded with a confused nod and set about preparing the dinner, restarting the fire. As she worked she listened to her friend humming to the child. The song, whatever it was, was beautiful. But the way Gabrielle was humming it, with such heartfelt anguish, sent chills up and down her spine. 

Soon after, Gabrielle looked down at the child who was beginning to drift off. "You tired honey?" 

Rhiannon nodded slightly, her eyes half closed in exhaustion. Xena took the signal and quickly laid out a bedroll. Still wrapped in her blanket, Gabrielle lay her down and wiped the tears from the child's face. She sat there looking at the fragile form for a moment, a thousand emotions running through her. She sighed morosely and kissed the girl's forhead before returning to her spot by the fire. 

Xena stood lamely in the middle of the clearing, staring at Gabrielle, awaiting an explanation. "Want to tell me what that was about?"

The bard briskly wiped the tears from her own face before looking up at Xena gravely. "Those bruises. My gods, those bruises." She rested her elbows on her knees. "And she's just so thin..." She dropped her head into upturned palms and drew a shaky breath.

Xena's forehead crumpled and she went to her friend's side. "Gabrielle," she began, crouching down in front of the young blonde. "what bruises? The ones on her arms?" She gently pried Gabrielle's hands away from her face. "C'mon, tell me."

The bard's saddened green pools met Xena's worried blue ones. "Those marks on her arms aren't anything compared to those on her chest and back. And there's this one on her pelvic bone..I don't even want to think how that got there." 

"Zues, I can't imagine what they must have hit her with," she continued, inhaling slowly. "And she's so pitifully skinny. You can tell she hasn't eaten a decent meal in ages." She paused. "I have no idea how she survived this long." Waves of nausea washed over her like ocean tides. "And Xena," she went on in a hushed, horrified voice. "She had no underwear."

Xena, who was by now seething with rage, tried to control herself long enough to speak with her friend. She moved to sit next to her. "We'll have to take her to a healer, and soon. If there is any internal damage done, the sooner we know the better," she said, jaw set, eyes staring forward.

"Can't you just look at her and find out?"

"Yes, I could but I want and actual healer in this case. I don't want to take any chances; not with a child. Not with her."

Gabrielle nodded and Xena handed her a plate of food. "You hungry?" she asked, looking at her companion's face, which had over the past day become considerably white and drawn. 

"Not now, thanks. Maybe when Rhiannon wakes up." She rested her chin on steepled fingers and stared at the dancing flames. "What then? Where are we taking her after she sees a healer?"

Xena returned the plate of food to the ground. "I was thinking the Amazon village. If Rhiannon is in your care I'm sure the tribe would be more than happy to offer their services and protect her."

"Good idea," Gabrielle commented. "And I was thinking of something else, too. How about we change her appearance and her name, at least while we're traveling through villages? You know, make it harder for her grandparents to track her down."

The warrior arched a surprised eyebrow at the bard. "Smart thinking. When we go into villages, we'll just pretend she's your daughter. You two look enough alike. I'm sure she'd enjoy it."

Gabrielle wondered if she'd heard a trace of envy in her best friend's voice. "Alright, sounds good to me. We'll have to talk with her when she gets up."

*************

He rolled onto his back and winced as the bright morning sun caught him full in the eyes. "Ugh," he groaned, rolling himself up and out of bed. How many drinks did he have last night? Couldn't remember; musta passed out before he finished. 

"Stop your groanin' and get the kid, Jorius. I need her to clean up the room before we leave." Avella said from a nearby chair. She was brushing her long blue-gray hair lazily.

Jorius ran a withered hand through his thin gray hair. "Yeah, yeah. Stop your yelling woman. Just wait till I get my trousers on, will ya?" He stood and pulled a pair of ragged brown pants over his gangly white legs. 

"Make sure she knows the consequences if she hasn't done her morning chores already," his wife called after him as he left the room. 

Once in the stables, Jorius looked around for Rhiannon. "Girl?" He checked the spot where she usually slept. She wasn't there. "Girl??" he called louder as he searched the stables. 

A man stepped into the stables, hearing Jorius's call. "Are you looking for someone, sir?" 

Taken by surprise, the elderly man jumped guiltily. "Ah, I'm just looking for my dear little granddaughter. She usually likes to come down here early in the morning to play with the horses," he lied, feigning a concerned look.

"Sorry man, there hasn't been any child in here all morning. I've been down here most of the morning, except for when I just went to get some breakfast. Maybe she went back to your room," the stranger suggested.

"Um, yeah..maybe. Thanks," Jorius said in a uniformly polite tone before leaving the stables. Damn kid, he thought. Probably out playing. With growing anger he searched the area around the inn and stables. She was no where to be found. 

"Listen kid, I've got a hang over and a cranky wife to deal with," he mumbled through clenched teeth. "If you don't show up soon you're going to get one Hades of an ass whipping."

Jorius searched for another quarter of a candlemark before returning to the inn and stomping furiously upstairs to their room. He flung the door open so abruptly that it hit the wall with a loud bang. 

Avella, who hadn't budged, looked at him with a scowl. "What took you so long? Where is she?" 

Jorius stood in the doorway, eyes blazing. "She's gone."

***************

"So its set then. We'll take Rhiannon to the healer and then pick up a few groceries in that little town...what's the name?" Gabrielle asked as she tossed some wood into the fire. 

"Lohr," Xena replied and snapped her head around as she heard some movement behind her. "Oh Rhiannon, you're up." She smiled at the little girl who awoke with tousled hair and puffy eyes. 

Rhiannon smiled meekly and wobbled over to Gabrielle, still in her blanket. 

"Hi there, munchkin," the bard said affectionately. She picked up the girl's dress that had now dried. "Do you want to get out of that blanket and back into your clothes?" 

Though the idea of being exposed again was less than appealing to her, Rhiannon agreed and dropped the blanket to shimmy into her dress. It was just enough time for Xena to see for herself the bruises Gabrielle had mentioned. She looked away in shock. 

Once dressed, Rhiannon sat between the two of them, feeling out of place and anxious. She couldn't get the thought of what would happen to her if Jorius found her off her mind. Part of her almost wanted to go back to them to end the awful anticipation and fear.

Xena tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere. "Did you sleep well, kiddo?" 

"Um hmm, kinda." Rhiannon replied in her quiet manner as she stretched her legs out, curling her toes.

"That's good to hear. Are you hunrgy?"

The child didn't hesitate to answer yes. Her stomach was growling nosily. When Xena handed her a plate of fish, bread, and apple slices, she fell upon the food with abandon. Being used to having food withheld, she took all she could when she got it. 

Xena was delighted that the child was eating so well. If she could hold the food down, they'd have her back to healthy again in no time. She tried again to hand Gabrielle a plate, but the bard pushed it away in disinterest. She frowned knowing her friend hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. 

As Rhiannon ate, Gabrielle took the opportunity to talk to her about their plan. "We were thinking about what to do next," she began watching the child eat. "and we've come up with a plan."

Rhiannon munched on a piece of bread and looked from one to the other, waiting for them to go on.

"First, we'd like to take you to a healer." Gabrielle stated carefully watching her expressions. "We need to make sure your injuries aren't serious," she explained. Seeing no readable reaction from the girl, she went on. "Then we're going to get you some new clothes and maybe a different hairstyle so that you won't be noticable to people who may be looking for you. What do you think about all of this?"

Rhi wasn't thrilled with the idea of going to a healer, but maybe these two were right. If she had some serious injury, they needed to know. The second part sounded more fun to her. She liked the thought of being dressed up and looking different. Anything to seperate herself from where she had just come. And even if it didn't last for long, at least she'd be able to keep the memories of these things with her, in the case her grandfather found her. "Okay," she said finally with a faint smile. 

***************

"What do you mean she's gone?" Avella hoisted herself out of the chair and stared accusingly at the old man. "Did you look everywhere?"

"Yes, I looked everywhere. She's gone I tell ya."

"Well, where could she go alone?"

"I don't know," Jorius said as he began to pack their belongings. "But get dressed because we're going to find out.

***************

"..and Xena won the battle against the Persians single handedly saving Athens and her friend, all in one day." Gabrielle spoke with great animation.

"Wow," Rhiannon breathed. "Xena's a hero, isn't she?"

"She sure is. Though she wouldn't admit it if her life depended on it," the bard said with a smirk in her friend's direction.

"Come on you two, we've reached Lohr," Xena called from a few paces ahead of them. 

Gabrielle and Rhiannon trotted to catch up with the warrior. In a few moments they had all reached the outside of the physician's hut. After Xena had tied Argo's reins to a post, she turned to see the child shaking and pale. 

"It'll be alright," she said reassuringly, reading the apparent fear on the little face. "Gabrielle and I will be with you throughout the whole exam." 

"Xena?"

"Yes Rhiannon?"

"Will it hurt?" she asked in her wispy voice. 

The bard and warrior exhanged glances. "Well, it might..a little," Gabrielle answered honestly. "But it'll be over in no time, you'll see."

"You sure?"

"Very sure," Gabrielle said trying to calm herself as well. Taking Rhiannon by the hand, she followed Xena into the hut. 

Just inside the door was a small waiting room with a curtained doorway. Behind it they could hear the physician speaking to a patient. A pungent odor of herbs and elixirs hung thick in the air.

"I guess we'll have to wait." Gabrielle led Rhiannon over to a wooden bench underneath the small window. Xena stood leaning in the door frame, arms crossed, eyes sceptically scanning the walls of the hut. 

The room was decorated with, besides a diploma from Rome, shelves that held figures of Greek diety on one wall, and famous heros and leaders on the other. Hercules, Pompey, Augustus and...no. Xena narrowed her eyes in disbelief. 

It can't be, she thought as she crossed the room to inspect. Sure enough, there it was: a small figure of her. It held a remarkable resemblance to her, except that it had noticably larger breasts and much less clothing. 

Xena picked up the figure and nearly dropped it just as quickly when it squeaked in her hands. "What the hades?" She gingerly squeezed the stomach of the figurine between her forefinger and thumb. This action elicited a loud _eeeeekk! _from it. "Well, I'll be," she mused. "A squeaky doll of me. Darn Athenian merchants."

Gabrielle's head swiveled to look at her friend. "Was that _you_?" 

"Ah, well, sort of," Xena turned to her friend. "You wouldn't believe this thing." She was about to explain when the healer emerged from behind the curtain escorting a woman with a splint on her arm out the door. "Don't forget to check back in a week, Corina," he called after her. 

He then turned back into the room and gave Xena a friendly smile. "Playing with my toys, are you?" he asked, his brown eyes laughing.

"Uh, I'm sorry," she said, quickly replacing the doll on the shelf. "I've just never seen anything like it."

"Nah, don't apologize. Its actually quite an honor to have the warrior princess herself here in my hut." He gave her a curious look. "Although I somehow find it hard to believe that you would need a healer."

"Hey, even warriors aren't invincible." Xena said matter-of-factly. "But I'm fine this time. Its my friend's..er, daughter that needs your attention."

"Oh I see." He looked to the other side of the room and saw Gabrielle and Rhiannon stand. 

"Hi, I'm Gabrielle and this is my daughter Riora." She said evenly, following the plan as previously laid out.

The physician stuck out his hand. "I'm Talos. I've heard of you--the fabled Bard of Potedaia. I never knew you were a mother."

Gabrielle just smiled, ignoring his comment. 

Talos squatted down and looked at the blonde child. "Hello there," he said kindly. "you must be Riora. Its nice to meet you." 

Rhiannon smiled shyly and leaned close to the bard's leg. "Nice to meet you, too," she whispered. 

Talos looked up at Gabrielle. "What seems to be the trouble with your daughter?"

The bard glanced uneasily at Xena and tried to explain the situation. She omitted, of course, the part about them kidnapping Rhiannon. She began to say they rescued her from abusive family members and was now her adopted mother. It wasn't entirely untrue, but the more she tried to explain the harder it was to hide the truth. Finally after Xena, rather threateningly, made him swear to keep quiet they told the real story.

Talos listened quietly throughout. "I see," he said solemnly after they had finished. "Well, let's see what we can do, huh?" He winked kindly at the girl before rising again to his feet. 

"One more thing," Talos lowered his voice so only Xena and Gabrielle could hear. "Has she been sexually abused?"

The one question she couldn't bear to think about was finally being asked. "We don't know," Gabrielle answered. "Gods, I hope not."

"Then its up to me to find out," Talos sighed heavily. He'd only done an exam like that two other times and even then the victims had been older. "Well, let's begin, shall we? I know we all want this over as soon as possible."

Xena and Gabrielle nodded simultanoeusly. It felt good to have someone on their side. The bard picked up Rhiannon who was still shivering and silent and followed the healer into the back room. 

"Okay Rhiannon, I'm going to need you to step out of your clothes ok? Can you do that for me?" Talos asked, rumaging around in one of his drawers. 

With those words, the child's face turned a shade of gray. She'd heard that so many times before, though with much more insistence and no kindness whatsoever. For a moment, she wasn't even sure if she was breathing. Why did every man she ever came across ask her to do this? 

Bad choice of words, the healer immediately chided himself. Now he thought he knew the answer to that question from before. "Er, don't worry, you'll have a blanket to cover up with. I just need to be able to see your chest and back during the exam." He held up the white blanket. "Rhiannon, I know this is very difficult for you. And I'm not expecting you to trust me," Talos said seriously and calmly, trying to make her see that he was not a threat. "but I will not hurt you. If anything during the exam starts to hurt, you just tell me and I'll stop. Okay?" 

Rhiannon looked into Gabrielle's jade eyes and, finding comfort there, decided to comply. "Okay," she whispered between chattering teeth. Regardless of the midsummer heat, she felt cold as ice. 

"I'll let you get undressed then." Talos turned away and looked through his cabinets for some herbs, also to give the child her privacy. 

A few moments later, given the go ahead, the healer turned back to the emaciated child who sat frightened on the cot. Even being the experienced physician he was, Talos was stricken by the little one's harrowing appearance. Never, in all his years of practice, had he seen a child so young this abused. 

"Where did you get all these bruises?" Talos asked. He'd already heard it from Gabrielle, but he wanted to hear it from the girl as well. Though the blue-black patches on her torso were large, it was the ones on Rhiannon's arms that really bothered him. They looked as if to be placed there so purposely, as if someone was keeping a physical tally of her punishments on her arms.

"From Avella and Jorius," she replied nervously.

"What is it they hit you with?" 

Rhiannon felt Gabrielle slip her hand into hers. Xena stood right behind the bard watching the healer's every move. 

"Hard things," she answered looking down at the floor. "Rocks, belts, fists. Whatever they can find first."

Bastard, Xena thought with anger.

Gabrielle kept a strong hold on the child's hand but turned away, not wanting Rhiannon to see her cry. She felt Xena's hand on her back offering comfort.

"Okay Rhiannon, can you lay down for me?" Talos waited until she did. "I'm going to press a little on your chest and tummy." He straightened the blanket on her lower half. "You tell me when it hurts, ok?"

After she gave him permission to proceed, he began to prod lightly the areas around her stomach and abdomen. On many different areas, Rhiannon would jump or squirm or cry out in pain. Finally Gabrielle could stand it no longer, and Xena could sense it. 

"Please stop," Gabrielle whispered almost inaudibly. 

Xena wasn't sure what upset her more, Rhiannon having to go through the exam or her friend's distress. "Can we wrap this part up, doc?" she asked impatiently.

Talos glanced from them to the child's tense face. "Ah, alright. Sure." He pulled the blanket up over her chest and gave Xena a "you-know-what's-next" look. "Okay Rhiannon. One more thing we have to do, though." He took a seat on a stool at the foot of the cot. "But first, I need to ask you a question. Is this okay with you?" He was treading with the utmost caution.

Rhiannon murmured a yes.

Talos swallowed hard and mustered up the courage to ask what he needed. "Has anyone ever touched you down there?" he asked, pointing at her nether regions.

Gabrielle didn't want to hear the answer. She wanted to run away as far and as fast as she could. If it wasn't for Xena's strong hand on her shoulder, she probably would have bolted for the door right then. But instead, she stared out the window and nearly had a panic attack waiting for the answer. Beside her, she could feel Xena steel herself for the reply.

Finally, as if in a nightmare, the answer came, "Yes." 

Gabrielle tried unsuccessfully to stifle a sob and Xena dug her finger nails into her palms until blood ran through her fingers in little rivulets. Talos himself was having a hard time keeping his temper. 

"When was the last time it happened?"

"Two nights ago."

Talos looked up at Xena with a grim face. He knew that no one, himself included, wanted to go on. But as a professional, it was his job. "Rhiannon, can I take a look down there?" he asked very gently, not wanting to further traumatize her. 

"I don't want you to," she protested weakly. 

Gabrielle couldn't find her voice so Xena stepped in. "Honey, if there's been some damage down there, we have to know so we can get it fixed." An icy fire in her chest threatened to steal her own voice. "We'll be here next to you the entire time." 

"She's right. And don't forget that I'll stop the very minute it hurts," Talos was quick to add.

Rhiannon couldn't speak or move, but she looked up at the warrior, as if saying the exam could go on. What other choice did she have? 

Taking a deep breath, Talos pulled back the sheet and propped the girl's knees up.

While laying there naked on the cot, being examined for something she felt was her fault, Rhiannon felt cold and dead inside. The terrible shame and embarrassment she felt threatened to choke her off. Though the healer's hands were gentle and intending of help, horrible memories of Jorius' "games" came back to her. 

She couldn't bear to watch Gabrielle cry or Xena pace the floor in rage. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and watched the iridescent ribbons of color dance behind her eyelids. Without even realizing she was doing it, she started to mumbled the little poem she had made up when Jorius made her take naps with him. She'd repeat it over and over, praying for the incident to end. 

"I'm a little bird, I'll fly away

away from night, to find the day. 

sunshine, rainbows, stars above

someone out there will show me love."

Suddenly, a wave of panic overwhelmed her and the poem wasn't helping to distract her from the doctor's exam. "Stop it!" Rhiannon screamed, jolting everyone in the room from their thoughts.

Talos drew his hand away immeadiately. "I'm sorry, sorry," he said apologetically, scooting back a bit. She had seemed to be tolerating the procedure well enough, so he was more than a little surprised by the outburst.

Gabrielle nearly got whiplash turning her head to look down at the girl. "Hey, okay. Its okay," she said soothingly, grasping tighter the girl's hand.

"Are you done?" Xena asked the healer.

"Um, yes. Yes we're done." Talos decided not to try and push things anymore. Besides, he'd gotten enough of a look to know the general state of things.

Gabrielle nodded. "Good," she said and then another awful wave of nausea hit her. "I'll be right back," she mumbled and rushed through the curtain, past the waiting room where an elderly man was sitting, and finally outside. Just in the knick of time too; as she went around the corner of the building she threw up.

Xena watched with concern as her friend bolted from the room. She waited until she finished dressing Rhiannon and asked Talos if he could watch her for a few moments. Once he agreed, she went in search of the bard. 

The warrior found her doubled over and wretching. Without saying anything, she wrapped her arms around the small frame and waited for the heaving to subside. When eventually she finished, the bard turned into her best friend's arms and cried. 

"Shhh," Xena mumbled into the top of her friend's hair. She wanted to tell her it would be alright, that everything would turn out okay, but at the moment she wasn't sure if they would.

The bard was so utterly appalled by the knowledge of what happened to the child that she felt she would come apart at the seams. Like a bolt out of the blue, memories from her past hit her and made the situation all the worse.

When Gabrielle came to her senses again, she pulled out of the strong arms and sheepishly wiped at her tears. "I'm sorry. I lost it, I know. I just couldn't--"

"I know Gabrielle." 

"I shouldn't have acted like that though. She needs us to be strong for her."

"Don't apologize for your compassion. Rhiannon needs that just as much as she needs strength."

"I suppose so. But you didn't lose it.." the bard pointed out, at the same time noticing Xena's bloody palms.

"Believe me, its all I can do to contain myself. I want nothing more to kill that son of a bitch that did that to her."

Gabrielle looked up and saw her friend was right. There was that familiar speck of hate burning in those deep blue eyes. What she didn't realize was that she also possessed this fire. "So what's stopping you?"

"Only the fact that I want to get you and Rhiannon to the amazon village first. Once you two are safe, they'll be nothing holding me back."

The barely supressed rage in Xena's voice scared her in one way, but in another, she was so blinded by her own hate that she didn't move to stop her. "We should get back to Rhiannon," the bard said, her mind brought back to the present as she rounded the corner of the building. She stopped first to rinse her mouth out at the pump before following Xena back into the physician's hut.

Rhiannon was in the waiting room with Talos when they entered and he was naming the figures he had on the shelves. "Ah, you're back," he glanced at the blonde haired woman. "Are you alright, Gabrielle?"

"Sure. Just needed some air," she replied shortly as she scooped the child up in her arms. 

"Is Rhiannon going to be alright?" Xena asked.

"Well, she has a few cracked ribs, some internal bumps and bruises, and she's quite a bit malnourished, but I think all in all she'll be alright. There's no permantly disfiguring injuries." Talos fumbled around in a drawer until he found a small jar filled with a cream colored poultice. 

"Just apply this to her external injuries until its gone. Its got some strong herbs in it that are known to speed the process of healing." 

Xena took the jar from him. "And what about the second part of the examination?"

The healer shifted uncomfortably. "Time will heal the physical wounds," he said simply. Gabrielle and Xena auotmatically read the other part of his statement in his eyes: "The emotional wounds will take much longer to heal, and they'll never be gone completely."

"Thank you Talos, for everything." Xena said, breaking the solemn atmosphere quietly. "We appreciate your cooperation." She moved forward to hand him some dinars. 

The physician shook his head. "No. You keep the money." He looked at the expressionless girl in Gabrielle's arms. "She needs it more than I do." 

Xena hesitated but put the money away. "Thanks again," she said sincerely. 

"Don't mention it." He smiled and watched as the warrior took Rhiannon from the bard's arms, leaving the hut. Gabrielle was on her way out too, but he caught her arm. "Wait."

"Yes?" 

Talos released her arm when she turned around. "I just want to say that I wish you three the best of luck. I know its going to take Rhiannon awhile to heal, in more ways than one, but with you and Xena on her side I'm sure she'll be alright." He smiled kindly. "Take care Gabrielle. You're a very brave woman."

"I hope you're right Talos," Gabrielle replied before leaving the hut.

A few minutes later they were standing outside the village inn. "Okay, meet back here, then?" The blonde bard asked, confirming their plans.

"Yep. In one candlemark Rhiannon and I will meet you back here." Xena said. "And don't forget to pick up some groceries," she reminded her distracted friend.

"I won't." The bard took the money pouch in her hand. "I'll see you in a little bit, ok sweetie?" she said, smiling down at the girl who hadn't spoken a single word since her outburst at the healer's. She glanced once more up at Xena before walking down toward the south end of the village. 

As she walked along Gabrielle took a few deep breaths, still trying to quell her nagging nausea. Her stomach felt ready to creep up into her throat again, so she tried to concentrate on the shopping she had to do. 

Xena had agreed to take Rhiannon for her little "makeover" and let Gabrielle have some time to sort things out. Secretly though, the bard was battling terrible guilt, unknowing at the time that it was not only because of Rhi's situation. 

She took her time picking up some fruit, bread, cheese, and peanuts from the market. She had no desire to haggle or bargain today. Her thoughts were consumed completely by an anger and a hurt that she didn't understand. A small face with the same hurting eyes as Rhiannon kept popping up in her head. Why couldn't she just forget that? 

Having bought all the needed groceries, Gabrielle started on her way back to the inn when a man selling children's toys caught her eyes. She'd barely begun to look over the goods when the merchant started on his spiel. 

"Having a good day?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "You're a pretty lady. I bet you're a mother. You're a mother, right?"

"In a way yes," Gabrielle replied, thinking both of Rhiannon and Hope.

"Ah, I knew it!" He grinned. "How about a toy for your little one? All toys are one dinar off today."

"Oh, I don't know.."

"Isn't a smile on your child's face worth a few dinars? Think of the lasting memory it will make!" The guy was laying it on thick.

The extra dinars weighed heavily in her hand. Maybe he's right, Rhi would like a toy, she reasoned to herself. Her eye fell upon a soft doll; complete with yellow yarn hair, blue button eyes, and a bright cloth dress. "I'll take that."

The merhcant handed the doll to Gabrielle. "Good choice! That'll be three dinars."

Three dinars? Wow, prices of toys had sure went up from when she was a kid. Nonetheless, she handed the money to him. "Three dinars. There you go." 

"Thank you, miss! You have a great item there. Enjoy your day!"

Gabrielle smiled inwardly and finally returned to the inn where Xena and Rhiannon were already waiting. "Wow, Rhiannon, you look great!" she exclaimed when she'd gotten a better look at the girl. 

The child's hair had been dyed from the dishwater blonde it was to a vibrant reddish blonde. Over that was tied a white crocheted handkerchief and now she wore a long light blue dress with tiny white flowers all over it. If the sadness had been gone from her eyes, she would have looked angelic. Instead, she looked like a porcelain doll who had been broken and was now missing pieces.

"But Xena, the dress," Gabrielle said, looking up at her friend.

The warrior scowled. "What? I tried my best to pick something 'cute' out for her. You know I'm not good at this sort of thing."

Gabrielle gave her a confused look. "No, I wasn't insulting it Xena. I love it, really. But what I was going to ask is, why the long sleeves and skirt? Its so warm out here."

"Oh that. I knew it would raise suspicions to have the bruised areas of her body showing," Xena explained. "We don't need to attract anymore attention than we already do."

"That's right. Sorry, I hadn't thought about that." Gabrielle said, glancing down at the mute child. "Well, at least its light weight material." She caught Rhiannon looking curiously at the bundels in her arms. 

"I got us some food, Rhi," Gabrielle said, softly. "Are you hungry now?"

The little girl shook her head 'no'.

"Okay, well, how about you open this then?" She handed her the doll that she'd placed in a cloth. 

Rhiannon timidly took the package and hesitated before beginning to unwrap it. When she did, her eyes lit up notciably and a slight smile graced her lips. "Is this for me?"

"It sure is."

"To keep?"

"To keep." Gabrielle said with a grin. Oh, that smile on the child's face really _was _worth those dinars and so much more. 

"Thank you very much." Rhiannon replied, lifting her pale blue eyes to meet the bard's green ones. She had to admit, these two were making an admirable effort to take her mind away from her terror. They fed her, clothed her, and held her when she was scared. It was more than she had ever hoped to experience again. And yet, she still couldn't shake the feeling that it would all be taken from her someday.

"You're very welcome." Gabrielle smiled and turned to Xena. "Is that all we need to do while we're here?" 

"Yep, we're ready to leave," replied the warrior how had watched the exchange between the two strawberry blondes with mixed feelings. Of course, she was happy to see a smile on both of their faces finally, but there was also something in their eyes that made her feel they were keeping an awful secret. They now knew Rhiannon's, but what about Gabrielle?

"Do we have to ride?" Rhiannon asked quietly. So quietly that Xena needed to bend down and ask her to repeat it. 

"Oh yes. I'm afriad we'll have to ride," the svelte woman replied, picking the child up and depositing her into the saddle on Argo's back. "We need to make as good of time as possible. As it is, we're a few days from Amazonia."

Xena swung herself up behind the girl and held her hand out to Gabby. "Ready?"

"I am but I'm not sure that my hind end is," she remarked dryly, not looking forward to the trip ahead. Her complaint, though, was cut short by one look at Rhiannon who looked just as tired, if not more so, as both of them. "I'm right behind you." With that she allowed herself to be hoisted up onto the mare.

-------------

To Be Continued in Part II

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	2. Fragile Innocence Part II

Fragile Innocence ****

Disclaimer: Xena, Gabrielle, Ephiny, Solari, and Argo are property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance. I in no way intend to infringe on their copyright. All other characters in the story are my own creation. Also, the poem "Fragile Innocence" is mine. If you'd like to use it, please ask me first.

****

Warning: This story deals with the aftermath of physical and sexual child abuse. Though it is not in great detail, this story does have a dark theme. Please proceed with caution, especially if you are particularly sensitive to this subject. Also, there is mild use of some cuss words, nothing too severe though.

Fragile Innocence

by [Gabby Bard ][1]

Part II 

"What do you mean you haven't seen her?" Avella demanded of the man. 

"I can't say it any clearer than that, ma'am." The village watchman said apologetically. "Its been my shift since daylight and I've seen a few kids come through the gates, but none that fit your description." The woman's glare made him gulp. "You could try asking the night watchman."

"And where is he at?"

"At this time of day probably at home." The man pointed off to the side. "Third hut on your right."

Without a word of thanks or acknowledgment, Avella spun on her heel and took off for the indicated hut. For a woman as big as she was, she could certainly cover a good amount of ground when she was angry. Putting on her best distraught look, she stepped up to the door and wrapped hard with her knuckles.

A petite woman answered. "Yes? May I help you?"

Avella dabbed at her eyes with the corner of a handkerchief. "Is your husband home?"

"Yes he is, but can I ask why?"

"My granddaughter--she's missing. I thought your husband may have seen her on his watch last night." She sniffed dramatically.

"Oh. Just a moment please." The woman turned back into the hut. "Damien! There's a woman here to see you. Its about her granddaughter. She thinks you might have seen her on your watch."

A second later a middle-aged man with a young child in one arm appeared beside his wife in the doorway. "You say your granddaughter's missing?"

Avella nodded and proceeded to spin a pitiful tale about how Rhiannon is such a curious, loving little thing and would always have the tendency to wander away if not watched every second. She was terribly worried about her little 'peaches', she said with a sob.

Damien waited until she'd finished before slowly replying that he was sorry, but he hadn't seen the girl either. "I'll keep an eye out for her though. And I'll make sure a notice is put up around town." He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry ma'am. If she's in the area, she'll be found."

This time Avella thanked him and left. She was heading back to the inn when she ran into Jorius. He was out of breath and angry.

"She's not anywhere in this town! She escaped, I know she did." His normally pasty white skin was scarlet. "Did the watchmen see her?"

"No. They were no help at all." She scowled. "The night gaurd agreed to put up a notice on her though."

"Bah! No point in that. If she's run away she won't come back here." Jorius took a deep breath and some of the color drained from his face. C'mon, we're leaving." He took off for the stables.

"Why don't we eat first?" Breakfast and lunch had come and gone and she was getting ravenously hungry. Never once did it occur to her that that was exactly how Rhiannon felt every day in their 'care'.

"No. We can eat on the way." Jorius led their horse out of the stall and mounted. "The girl can't travel fast if she's alone." He held out his hand to his plump wife. "Hurry now. I want to find her before nightfall." He was damned if he was gonna let that little girl go off and tell some authorities about the way they'd been treating her. 

****************

Gabrielle scraped the remaining food from their plates into the fire. Xena had gotten up quiety to take a walk after she finished eating. It wasn't unusual for the warrior to take an evening walk, but the bard knew that tonight she went more to relieve some stress than to patrol the area surrounding their camp.

The bard set the dishes aside and looked at Rhiannon. The little girl was sitting on her bedroll clutching her doll and staring into the fire. She looked so lost within herself and her memories, Gabrielle couldn't help but reach out and ask if she was okay.

Rhiannon nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of her voice. "I'm okay. Just thinking," she answered quietly. 

She apologized for startling her. "I'm sorry. You just looked so, well, scared and I thought maybe you'd like some comfort or something," the blonde woman said tenatively. "Do you want me to tell you a story?"

This was a new concept for the girl. She couldn't remember the last time someone had offered her comfort. Hades, she couldn't even remember the last time someone smiled at her before she met Gabrielle. Why was this woman so nice to her? How did she see the things everyone else chose to overlook? Things like how she was so scared inside and how all she wanted was a little bit of love from someone. Someday she planned to ask her. 

But for now Rhiannon just took her doll and climbed into the lap the bard was offering to her. It sure beat sitting by herself with her back to the dark woods. 

Gabrielle smiled and gently wrapped her arms around the lithe figure. "So, what did you name your dolly?" 

"Precious."

"That's a cute name," Gabrielle remarked. "How'd you come up with that?"

Rhiannon curled some of her hair around one finger. "Its what my momma used to call me. I think..." Her face took on a look of deep concentration. Gods! Why couldn't she remember things that meant so much to her? 

Gabrielle gave her a mildly surprised look. It was the first time the child had spoken about her mother. "What was your mother like?" 

"I don't remember much about her. It was so long ago. I do know she had pretty blonde hair and a smile as bright as the sun," she said in a wistful tone. "Her name was Calandra." 

"I'm sure you love her very much." Gabrielle said quietly. "Where is she now?"

"Dead."

The bard flinched. Dumb question, Gabrielle, she thought. "Oh. I'm..I'm sorry Rhiannon. That must have been so hard on you." She paused. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here, ok?" 

"Okay. Thanks."

She smiled down at the melancholy child. "Anytime. How about that story now, huh?"

****************

"Damn it!" Jorius muttered through clenched teeth. He and Avella had traveled all day hitting all the towns along the their way, giving out notices for Rhiannon. They had no inkling that they were going in the completely opposite direction of their granddaughter. 

"Where is she?" he roared to no one in particular. 

Avella yawned. "Who cares right now? Its late and I'm tired."

"So? Don't you want the brat back?"

"I could care less right now. Just let her try to manage herself out there in the wilderness. We don't neccessarily need her anyway."

"I know we don't _need _her, but she dilbertly disobeyed me and I told her what the price was for doing so. And I always keep my word." The man paused heatedly. "Besides, we can't have her going to the authorities now can we?"

"I'm not saying you have to give up, but let's just get some rest for tonight. Alright?" Avella took on a whiney tone. 

"Oh fine. But we're up before dawn," he grumbled, steering them off the path.

******************

They lay looking up at the twinkling stars in the night sky. Xena was on her back, head resting her arms, Gabrielle in the same position, and Rhiannon curled up between them, for the moment peacefully asleep. 

They were enjoying a comfortable silence, when a question from the warrior broke the tranquility. "Is there something bothering you, Gab? I mean, something besides this current situation with Rhiannon?" 

The bard glanced at her friend and could see she'd been thinking about this for some time. "No. Why?" 

Xena rolled onto her side facing Gabrielle and propped her head up on one hand. "I don't know. You just seem so different lately. Like there's something you're trying to hide."

The blonde tried to act nonchalant. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just fine."

"Gabrielle," Her voice rose in a warning tone. "you've bearly eaten a thing since the morning we found Rhi. I know you well enough to know there's got to be something really wrong for you to refuse food." 

"Shhh!"

Xena looked disgruntled. "I was just trying to help--"

"No, I mean, listen," Gabrielle pushed herself into a sitting position and turned to look into the dense forest. 

Now the warrior heard it too: rustling in the trees behind them. Her keen senses picked up the footsteps of a small group of people. Heavy steps, long strides. "Get your staff." She whispered to her companion as she stood.

They'd just gotten to their feet with weapons in hand when a small band of men jumped out at them. Without any words being exchanged, the obvious leader of the group and another man of slightly bigger stature, headed at Xena, swords out and intending of finding their mark on her skin. Three more went for Gabrielle.

Taking the smaller man first, Xena thrust her sword out in a half arc and knocked the blade from his hand. Easy opponent, obviously not a skilled fighter. Raising her foot she kicked the man squarely in the chest, sending him forcefully to the ground. 

In the mean time, the bard had managed to rid herself of one warrior, but had two more to deal with. One man brought his sword down in the middle of her staff in hopes of splitting it, though she easily threw it off. Turning to the side, she thwacked the man in the face with the end of her weapon and saw him fall to the ground. Good, only one left.

"Aah!" A shriek from Rhiannon added more confusion and noise to the fight. She had been woke up when one of Gabrielle's 'disposed' men landed near her head with a thump. The minute she looked up and saw the warlords, she was sure they were sent by her grandfather. 

"Jorius! He sent them! They'll kill me!" She yelped frightfully. One impulse took over and she got to her feet and ran into the night as fast as she could. 

Gabrielle, whose back had been to the child, only heard the girl's shouts and saw her flee into the forest. No! If there were more men out there.. "Xena, Rhiannon left!" she shouted over the noise of battle cries and clanging swords. The bard was still having a hard time throwing off the last warrior. He seemed to be the most skilled fighter in the bunch.

Xena snapped her headed around for just a second and saw her friend was right. Still parrying with her own warlord, she unhooked the chakram from her skirt and tossed it at the man her friend was fighting. 

The man caught it in the chest and thus freed Gabrielle to go look for the girl. "Thanks!" she called over her shoulder as she took off, staff still in hand. 

"Rhiannon! Rhiannon, where are you?" The light of the stars couldn't penetrate the thick canopy of leaves overhanging the forest and Gabrielle was left with barely any light. She'd have to rely on her sense of hearing. "Rhiannon! Its okay, you can come back to camp now!"

Nothing. The forest was alive with the sounds of the night animals, but there were no signs that the child was anywhere near. Through the darkness, Gabrielle fought her way past shrubs, thorn bushes, and surfaced roots. Where was she? She couldn't have run that far.

"Rhiannon, please! If you can hear me, let me know. I need to find where you are."

Unexpectedly, a hand reached out and brushed the bard's leg. Letting out a squeal of surprise she instinctively inched back a bit. "Rhiannon?" She squinted her eyes to make out the form before her. No, that was a tree. Couldn't have touched her. Last time she checked trees didn't have hands. 

"Here," came a small voice.

This time Gabrielle looked lower and was able to make out the child's small figure. Out there among the brush, she blended in looking like just another twig tangled in the brambles of a dark woods. Maybe that's how she felt, too. 

"Oh Rhiannon, there you are." She knelt down and held her hands out. "I was worried about you. Why did you run? Xena and I weren't going to let those men hurt you." 

Rhiannon was sure the beating of her heart would have made them deaf. Her whole body trembled weakly and she was certain her little fairy tale life she'd just found was coming to an end. "But Jorius sent them. He sent them to kill me."

Of course, Gabrielle wanted to say no, that's not why those men attacked. But she didn't honestly know. "You don't know that, Rhi. They could just be warlords out for a profit. Xena and I fight men like this every day." She felt the fear emanating from the little girl. "How about this: why don't you and I go back to camp and find out who those men were? I'm sure by now Xena's taken care of the last ones."

"What if--"

"No. They won't hurt you. I won't let them." The bard spoke with genuine confidence.

"Okay." 

Even though she couldn't see it, Gabrielle smiled at her and took her by the hand. "C'mon let's get you out of these weeds."

By the time the two of them arrived back at the camp, the men had completely gone, even the one who'd been the victim of Xena's chakram. Gabrielle was glad to see they took the fallen man with them. Rhiannon didn't need to see a dead body next. 

"There you are," the warrior said out of breath as she plopped down onto a log. 

"Who were those men anyway?" Gabrielle asked while straightening up the blankets that had been strewn about during the commotion.

"Just a group of men trying to start an army. They thought they'd gain some popularity if they had my head," she replied, smirking at the thought of them going back to their village defeated. 

"See Rhiannon? They weren't Jorius' men," Gabrielle said with a small smile. But the child refused to relax. So it wasn't them this time. Who knew about the next attack?

Xena looked at the girl and knew what she was thinking. It wasn't hard to see her fear; every inch of her body expressed it. She stood with a rigid back, eyes open wide and frantic, and her breathing was rapid. 

"Its going to be alright," she said softly, both to the girl and the bard. She reached out to take Rhiannon's hands in hers. "We're not going to let anyone hurt you anymore." The warrior knew she and Gabrielle both had said that over and over since they found her, but if that's what it took, they'd do it. There could never be too much assurance.

Rhiannon just stood there, aware of everything, looking at nothing. Her stomach flipped and flopped and her knees felt like jelly. "Can I just lay down for now?" she whispered.

"Sure, if that's what you feel like doing." Gabrielle took her over to the bedrolls and tucked her in. "If you need anything, we're here." Though she didn't feel it in her heart, she smiled warmly and tucked some of the girl's hair behind her ear. As soon as she seen Rhiannon was situated, she returned to Xena's side.

"You're bleeding," the blonde said, pointing to the warrior's leg. There was a semi-deep cut just behind her left knee. She reached for the nearby medicine bag. "Let me take care of it," she said, immeadiately kneeling down in front of Xena. She wiped the blood from the surface of the cut and removed some gauze from the bag. 

"I can get that Gab. Just go take care of Rhi," Xena said, gesturing to the little form under the blankets. 

"She needs some time to herself right now." Gabrielle said, beginning to wrap carefully the injury. "Besides, don't you start thinking that just because we've got company with us that I'm going to start neglecting you." She paused in her task to look up at her best friend pointedly. She knew the warrior better than Xena thought. 

The bard tied the corner of the gauze in a knot. "There, that should do it." 

Xena side-stepped her companion's first comment. She was more than a little surprised that the young woman had picked up on those thoughts. And she also felt a little sheepish. The warrior felt she wasn't the one who needed to be worried about at the moment. There was Rhiannon, who went without explanation, and Gabrielle who seemed to be withdrawing a little bit more each minute. "You should try to get some sleep Gab. You're tired and I see it in your face."

"Oh yeah, that wasn't patronizing." She smirked. 

"You know what I mean." The warrior looked down at her now bandaged wound. "I worry about you."

Gabrielle placed a hand over Xena's and smiled up at her. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. You should put more thought into yourself, my friend. You don't exactly look like you're ready to run a race." She grinned.

The raven haired woman smirked. "Look who's talking."

The bard just shook her head with a sigh and went over to her bedroll. "I'll see you in the morning," she said as she curled up under a thin blanket. 

"Bright and early." She said and laughed when she heard the lump groan in response. "G'night," she said finally. 

For a long time after Gabrielle had laid down, Xena sat near the fire and watched her friend's slow breathing. Though it looked like it, she knew the bard wasn't sleeping. She hadn't slept for the past few nights in fact. 

The warrior wanted to demand an answer from the young woman as to why she had been acting so strange lately. There was such guilt and sorrow in those green eyes. What happened to the lively, optimistic bard she used to know? In a short time-- too short it seemed--Gabrielle lost her vitality and Xena knew it didn't have to do with Rhiannon alone. Yes, she could see through those smiles and grins that her friend was putting on. One didn't have to be truly happy to appear that way. What bothered her most was the fact that Gabrielle obviously didn't feel she could talk to her about something so important. 

Finally, the fire began to die down and Xena knew she'd have to try and get some sleep herself. When she had taken her place on her bedroll, she leaned over and tapped the bard's shoulder. "Go to sleep Gabrielle. I know you're still awake." 

***************

"No...I'm sorry...I'm sorry. Please don't do this again. No...no! HELP ME!" 

Rhiannon's sudden outburst woke Xena first. Gabrielle who had been awake, but deep in thought, sat bolt upright with a startled gasp that made her cough. When she could breath again, it took both her and the Xena to wake the girl. The bard held her flailing arms securely so that she wouldn't hurt herself or anyone else. 

"Rhi, wake up," Xena coaxed. "C'mon, open your eyes."

After what seemed like an eternity of thrashing and shrieks, the child's eyes snapped open. She lay there, eyes wild with terror and panting for air. Gabrielle released her arms slowly.

"You're still safe, Rhiannon. It was just a bad dream." Xena said gently, clearing the strands of hair off of her face. 

The little girl was so frightened she couldn't reply. There was no peace for her mind, not even in her dreams. Now awake, the memories of her nightmare came back to her and she thought she might be sick to her stomach. 

Xena took note of the gray-green shade of the girl's face in the moonlight. "Would you like to go for a little walk? It might help." 

Actually, the idea appealed to Rhiannon. She knew she wouldn't be able to just fall back asleep anyway. "Sure," she managed to whisper.

Gabrielle watched as Xena helped Rhiannon stand and then took her hand. "We'll be back in a few minutes," the warrior said to her friend before the two of them left the camp. 

"And I thought I was getting attached," the bard mused to herself as she watched them leave. "In a few more days, we're going to be in over our heads."

Xena and Rhiannon walked hand in hand down the moonlight path, a tense silence between them. They eventually stopped at a small stream not far away. The child was the first to sit down on the grassy bank and the warrior followed suit. 

Side by side they sat, Rhi dangling her toes in the cool water and Xena skipping small pebbles across the stream. 

The girl wondered if she'd ever find peace again. There was no place here on earth she could find it, not during the day, nor in sleep. She would have ended her own life long ago if she'd actually believed there was peace there for her. But instead she feared that Hades would take her for what she felt she did. Guilt didn't hesitate to steal whatever hope the fear had managed to leave dangling. 

Rhiannon was sure she was the cause of her abuse. The hitting came whenever she wasn't fast enough doing her chores or when she back talked; something she did. As for the sexual abuse, she couldn't quite figure that one out. Maybe it was the way she dressed? Or maybe it was just another way to punish her when she messed up. Somehow the thought of a grown man wanting to sleep with a little girl didn't add up to her. 

Finally the youth spoke. "Xena?"

"Hm?"

"I'm scared." 

The warrior put aside the stone she was about to launch and turned her full attention to the shadowed silhouette next to her. "What are you scared of?" Of course she already knew, but she figured it would help the girl to talk about it if she could.

"Of them finding me. Every time I close my eyes I see them coming after me. They hunt me down and when they find me..." She shook her head trying unsuccessfully to clear the image from her mind. "I can stand the beatings. At least those marks heal. But Jorius," A beat. "I never want to go back to that."

Fierce, hot anger welled up inside of Xena once again. She wanted to put an arm around the girl for comfort, but she wasn't sure that touch was the right appraoch right now. Giving the girl a kind look, she tried to sound confidant. "Do you want to talk about it? It might help," she asked tentatively. It was the first time Rhiannon brought up the abuse on her own. She spoke about it in such a way that she seemed to be much older than her seven years.

"No, not yet. I can't." Her voice was so low a whisper that Xena was afraid the crickets would drown her out. 

"Okay, that's alright. When, if, you feel like talking about it, you know I'm here. Gabrielle is here." 

For the woman's sake, the child put on a brief smile of gratitude. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate their efforts, in fact, she felt she owed them so much already for giving her these few days of freedom. But she was afraid to get attached, to depend on them and then get separated. "Thank you Xena," she whispered finally, looking up at the warrior's concerned face.

Xena gazed down into Rhiannon's deep blue eyes. They were so pure and so probing that the warrior felt the child could look into her very soul. Almost intimidated by the brokeness in those two small eyes, she had to finally look away. "You're welcome Rhiannon," she said quietly. "You feel ready to go back now?"

Rhi yawned as she nodded. The walk did help a little, after all. 

They returned to the camp where Gabrielle was sitting close to the restarted fire. "Oh you're back," she said now more alert. 

"Yep. I think Rhi's feeling a little bit more sleepy, right?" 

The child nodded obediently. She did feel a little more sleepy. "Xena? Would you..would you sleep by me?" she asked shyly, suddenly feeling afraid of being separated from her. 

Needless to say, Xena was caught off gaurd by the question. She figured Gabrielle would be requested in such matters. Nonetheless, she agreed. "Sure. I think I'm tired enough to go to sleep now anyway." She looked at Gabrielle and shrugged before tucking the child in. "You coming to bed?" 

The bard watched the interaction with curiousity and interest. Well, it was a good thing that Rhiannon was beginning to count on them for help. "Nah, I'm not tired yet."

If Rhiannon hadn't asked her to lay down, Xena would have argued with her friend a bit. Dark shadows were forming under the bard's eyes from lack of sleep and energy. "Well, try to rest soon, ok?" she said as she lay back on the bedroll next to Rhiannon's curled up form. 

"Sure, no problem." Gabrielle watched Rhi cuddle up to Xena's side. She smiled when she saw a small grin on Xena's face. 

She sat for a few minutes in silence, holding a blank scroll in her lap. There were so many things she was feeling, where could she start? Then, in a burst of inspiration, the bard picked up her quill and began to scribble away furiously. Each stroke brought a release that only ink and parchment could.

**************

"You have everything?" Jorius called over his shoulder as he packed up the bags on his horse.

"Yes, I said," his wife replied tersely.

"Good." The man mounted the stallion and motioned for Avella to do the same. "Let's go."

"I still don't know why we had to be up before sunrise. Another hour of sleep wouldn't have hurt." She grudingly took her place in the saddle. It was true that she hated Rhiannon and she would make that clear if she ever saw her again. But as far as she was concerned, the child could run away and stay away. It was a matter of revenge for her husband, unlike her who felt indifference more than anything else.

"Because if she's anywhere in Greece, I'm going to find her." Jorius dug his heels into the horse's flanks. "And the sooner I do, the better."

************

Just as the sun was making its appearance, Xena's eyes popped open. Craning her head to look down at her side, she found Rhiannon clinging tightly to her arm in her sleep. With a smile, the warrior carefully extracted her limb and sat up. Today would be the last push to get to the amazon village. If all went smoothly they would arrive by mid-evening. 

Xena was beginning to extend her arms out in a stretch when she noticed Gabrielle dozing over by the fire. With a frown she stood and went over to her sleeping friend. Judging by her half slumped over position it was evident that she had only fallen asleep a little while ago.

"Gabrielle?" She nudged the young woman slightly. 

"Hmm?" Slowly the bard lifted one leaden eyelid. 

"Why don't you go rest for awhile on the blankets? You're going to get a crick in your neck like this."

Forcing the other eye open, Gabrielle righted herself and put on a pert look. "That's okay. I'm awake now." 

"It wasn't a suggestion," the warrior said firmly. "You're going to make yourself sick going on like this." 

"But.." the bard looked sleepily up at Xena's face. She could tell her companion was worried about her and that bothered her. As if she didn't have enough to worry about. "Alright, alright," she said and rose from her spot. "Wake me soon, ok?" she mumbled through a yawn, laying down next to Rhiannon. 

"Uh huh," Xena replied noncomittally. A relieved sigh escaped her mouth when she saw the bard drift quickly off to sleep. She wished her friend would see that the more run down she was, the less she'd be able to take care of Rhiannon like she wanted to do so much. 

Now that she was asleep, the warrior bent down to pick up the scroll that Gabrielle had unknowingly dropped when she got up. Normally, Xena just would have tucked the scroll away somewhere and not think any more about it. But as she picked it up the top unrolled a bit and she caught the title, "Fragile Innocence." 

This time she couldn't just put it down. Hoping that Gabrielle wouldn't be too upset at her reading her inner thoughts, Xena sat down on the log and unrolled the paper. She smiled at the careful quillstrokes that filled the space. The bard's meticulous handwriting always amazed her. After smoothing out the wrinkles in it, she began to read: 

Fragile Innocence

Laughter, happiness, carefree

That's how childhood should be.

Not clouds of gray that suffocate

Bringing with them pain and hate.

I found your soul all black and blue

My heart cried out, what can I do?

I took you in my arms and then

Prayed the gods your pain would end.

You've opened up your heart to me

Now I'm determined to make you see

That for as long as I'm around

I will be your solid ground.

The day that I met you and since

I've vowed to protect your 

fragile innocence.

Xena sat staring at the parchment for a long moment. A single tear rolled down her cheek and dropped modestly onto the writing. To put words to it would have been impossible, but the warrior could feel every emotion Gabrielle put into that poem staring back at her. This was the first time she ever read her companion's poems and she was simply stunned. It wasn't the writing or the words even that affected her so greatly. It was the raw feeling that emanated from the page that captured her attention. And it was so intimately Gabrielle that she felt as if she were almost tresspassing by reading. 

The warrior was just thinking how the answers to many of her questions about the bard were probably in her collection of scrolls when a small voice startled her. "Morning," Rhiannon whispered coming up next to her. 

Xena roused herself from her thoughts. "Oh, good morning Rhiannon. Did you sleep well?" she questioned as she fumbled to roll up the parchment. 

"On and off. I got enough sleep though," she answered groggily. "What are you reading?" the girl asked, noticing the scroll. "Is it one of Gabrielle's stories?"

"Uh, yeah, more or less." The woman finally finished rolling it up and she rose to pack it carefully in their bags. "Are you hungry?" 

"Yes ma'am," Rhiannon replied polietly. 

Xena tossed the child an apple and grinned approvingly when she caught it. "You can skip the formalities Rhi. 'Xena' will work just fine." 

Rhiannon smiled back and began to nibble on her apple while the warrior began to groom Argo. 

Breakfast time had come and gone and Gabrielle was still sleeping. "Should we wake her up?" the child asked as Xena applied the prescribed poultice to her bruises. 

"Nah, not right now. She should wake up soon on her own." She finished coating the girl's thin skin with the medicine and screwed the lid back on the jar. "Do you have your things together?" 

"I think so." Rhiannon's nose wrinkled at the strong scent of the poultice. "This stuff smells awful."

The warrior princess chuckled at the look. Gabrielle did the same thing when she mentioned getting on a ship. "Its the herbs. Don't worry, the scent will go away soon." 

"What time is it?" asked a tired voice from a few feet away. 

Xena turned to find Gabrielle sitting up and awake. "Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty." She smirked. Her friend looked anything but beautiful this morning. Her eyes were red-rimmed and darkened by circles, brought out alarmingly by the pallor of her skin. "Its not too long after sunrise. We'll still get to the village on time," she said automatically answering the question she knew would be next. 

Gabrielle pushed herself out of the bedroll and stretched her arms heavenward. "Hi there Rhiannon. Did you sleep okay?" 

"Pretty much," she answered. The girl didn't want to tell them that she had still had nightmares even after the midnight incident. Luckily, those ones hadn't wakened them. 

"That's good." The bard smiled and patted the child's head lightly. "Did you eat breakfast?" 

"Yes, mother hen, she ate already," Xena replied with another smirk. "I can take care of a child you know." An impish grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "After all, I've taken care of you for three years." 

"You're a laugh a minute," Gabrielle replied sticking her tongue out childishly. 

"Good example you're setting for the little one," Xena couldn't help but tease. Inwardly, she was grateful for this temporary break in the solemn atmosphere. "Now she'll be doing that."

The blonde haired woman stepped up to the warrior with a challenging look. "Oh, and I suppose showing her how to throw a chakram and put the pinch on people is good for her to learn?" 

Using the bard's earlier expression, Xena popped her tongue out of her mouth which educed a laugh from Gabrielle. It wasn't everyday that you saw the former Destroyer of Nations stick her tongue out like a five year old. "You need to learn to practice what you preach." She grinned, tapping the older woman on the nose slightly.

By the time they turned back around, Rhiannon was staring at them amused. Never before had she seen two grown women tease each other like children. It was comforting to her though, odd as it seemed. It was the sound of their laughter.

"Alright, I suppose we should get moving now," Gabrielle said, recovering from her bout of immaturity. 

"Right," Xena agreed, picking up and setting away the rest of their belongings. That being done, she set Rhiannon into Argo's saddle, mounted, and held her hand out to the bard. 

This time Gabrielle complied without comment. These long hours of being in the saddle were beginning to wear on everyone, and more and more she was looking forward to getting to Amazonia. 

**************

Mile upon seemingly endless mile they rode, stopping only three very brief times for rest and to eat. The morning remained mostly sunny until a few candlemarks after noon. Then the sky began to turn the color of old dishwater and the erratic sprinkling of raindrops came soon after. 

The afternoon wore on with the atmosphere around the trio mirroring the look of the sky. There were no stories from Gabrielle, no chatter from Rhiannon. A few times Xena put forth the effort to begin some sort of conversation but to no avail. 

By the time the three of them reached the amazon village it was late evening and the rain was coming down in torrents. They had barely set foot on the territory when two sentries met them with a defensive stance. "Who goes there? You're on Amazon territory." 

Rhiannon instinctively tensed up while Xena and Gabrielle showed the sign of peace. In addition, the bard slid off the back of the mare and, trying to ignore the soreness in her legs, she approached the women. "We mean no harm. I'm Gabrielle."

"The queen?"

"Yes, that's right."

The taller sentry stepped closer to see the bard better. "My Queen!" she exclaimed finally recognizing the blonde. She swept low in a bow of respect which the other sentry quickly copied.

Before Gabrielle had the chance to tell them to skip the formal greetings, a third amazon, this one masked, emerged from the foliage. "Queen Gabrielle? Xena?" 

"That's us." 

The woman removed her mask to reveal a smiling face framed by waves of mahogany colored haired. As the bard squinted to see in the growing dimness she recognized the face. "Solari!"

"Its great to see you again," the amazon remarked.

"Likewise."

"Uh, I really hate to break up the reunion here," Xena cut in in an impatient voice. "but if we don't get out of the rain, this little girl is going to get sick." 

A barely concealed questioning look popped up on Solari's face, but she didn't hesitate to obey the request. "Let's get you to the village then," she said hurriedly. As the four of them headed through the woods, she turned to Gabrielle. "Child?"

Gabrielle sighed and pushed a tuft of wet hair out of her eyes. "We'll explain later." 

Once they reached the heart of the village, Solari waited for Xena and the nameless child to dismount before ordering a nearby woman to take Argo to the stables. She steered them over to Ephiny's hut. "Just a minute, I'll tell her you're here."

The brunette amazon stepped inside the door. "Ephiny? I'm sorry to bother you, but there are some visitors here to see you."

"Again?" Ephiny said with a sigh, not looking up from her work. "Tell them we're not accepting any more apprentice shamanesses. We've already got too many people floating between reality and unconsiousness."

Solari chuckled. "No, its not those girls again. These are different visitors."

"Oh? Well, not right now Solari. I've got to finish working on this treaty," she replied, eyes still glued to the parchment on her desk.

"I know, but I think these are a few people you may really want to see."

At last, Ephiny raised her head with slight annoyance. This quickly faded though as she saw two very recognizable faces and a child step through the door. "Gabrielle, Xena! What a pleasant surprise." She crossed the room to embrace the bard in a hug and the warrior in a friendly handshake. When she stepped back to look at them she noticed for the first time how worn out they looked. And the little one. Why was there a child? Something must be wrong. "So, what brings you here?" she asked as causually as she could, trying not to stare at the demure little creature that was clinging to the bard's hand for dear life. 

"We need a place to stay with Gabrielle's child for awhile," Xena said bluntly. 

The regent queen's eyebrows rose so high that they nearly disappeared into her hairline. "Your child?" She hadn't seen Gabrielle _that _long ago. Not long enough for nine months of pregnancy, much less have a child of this age. 

Upon seeing Ephiny's clearly confused look, the bard quickly jumped in. "Eh, let me rephrase that. This is Rhiannon and we're taking care of her for awhile." She glanced down at the silent child. "We'll explain all this in a minute, but can we get her dried off first? We've been out in the rain for hours."

"Sure, sure." Ephiny said, looking at the child with curiousity. "I'll have one of the younger girls borrow her an outfit."

"No, no that's alright," Xena said quickly. Rhiannon's bruises were fading slowly, but they were still visible. The last thing she needed right now was to be gawked at for her appearance. "We'll just wrap her in a blanket until her clothes dry." 

"Xena, have you any idea what the temperature is right now? Its far to hot for--" A look from the warrior stopped her mid-sentence. "Okay, if that's what you want to do," she finished, though now more confused than ever.

"Gabrielle, why don't you take Rhi to get dried off and get something to eat while I stay and talk to Ephiny," the warrior suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Solari, is there a hut open?" 

"Of course," Solari replied with a smile and led the two of them out of the hut. 

"Now, what's this all about?" Ephiny demanded of Xena the moment they left.

"You really want to know?"

"Would I ask if I didn't?" 

Xena sighed wearily and sat herself down into a chair. "Its Rhiannon. We found her a couple days ago and decided to take her with us when we found out about her abusive home life." She waited for a response from Ephiny, but continued when there was none. 

"She's been bruised up pretty bad, that's why I didn't want her put in one of those tiny amazon outfits right now. It would show all the marks. She doesn't need people staring at her next." The woman glanced at her friend, trying to read her expression. "And there was other abuse." 

Ephiny shuddered involuntarily. Xena needn't say what the other abuse was. "How can anyone possibly do this to a child?" 

"And that's not all," the warrior went on, bypassing the regent's rhetorical question. "there's something Gabrielle is hiding. She won't chatter like usual, she barely sleeps, and I doubt if she's eaten two bites of food since we found Rhiannon. She's just not herself and she won't tell me what's wrong." She sighed in frustration.

Ephiny nodded solemnly. She had noticed the dark circles under the bard's eyes and the thinner appearance to her frame. But it wasn't like Gabrielle to keep something to herself. "I'm sure she'll talk to you when she's ready, Xena."

"Mm. I don't know...I mean, I thought she would but she keeps denying anything being wrong every time I bring it up." 

"Well, I'll let you know if she says anything to me about it. But I'm sure she'll come to you in no time," the regent said. "Was there anything else you needed to tell me?"

"Actually, what my question was is, would it be okay for Gabrielle and Rhiannon to stay here for awhile?"

"Xena," Ephiny gave her a look. "you know you don't need to ask that. The Queen and any of her friends are always more than welcome to stay. Besides, we'd love to have her in the village again. But where are you going?"

A cold look settled onto Xena's face. "To find justice. I'm leaving first thing in the morning."

"Let me come with you," Ephiny began until the warrior cut her off. 

"No." Her tone turned gentler. "No, I want to do this on my own. And anyway, Gabrielle might need you here. I don't think she's up to ruling the village right now."

Letting out a resigned sigh, the amazon replied, "Alright, fine. But if you change your mind, let me know."

**************

Meanwhile, Gabrielle and Rhiannon had settled in the large Queen's hut that Ephiny sometimes resided in. Rhiannon was standing in front of the bard, who was sitting on the bed, while she brushed the child's damp hair out. 

"Gabrielle, are you the queen here?" 

"Yes, I am. Well, at least most of the time. When I'm not here Ephiny reigns in my place. She was the lady in the other hut with the curly blonde hair," she explained.

Rhi nodded and fell silent again for a few moments. She was throwing herself into this new, if temporary, life that she had found. It was a wonderful feeling to be with people who actually cared about her. Now, learning that Gabrielle was the queen of this land, she could add this to the little fantasy outlook she was clinging to. Sure, the pretending couldn't last forever, but at least it gave her time to breathe.

After a few minutes, she spoke again. "Who is the king?"

The bard chuckled. "There isn't one. Men aren't allowed in the the village except in rare circumstances, like Ephiny's son Xenan." 

"Why?"

"Hmm, I guess its because we don't need them. The amazon's basic foundation of thinking is that, 'Its a man's world. Not because it should be, but because we let them have it,'" Gabrielle glanced down at the top of the girl's head. "But you probably don't understand that yet." 

Rhiannon stepped forward and turned around to face the young woman. "No, I do understand. And I think that's right," she said. The thought of not having any men around--any threat--was close to exhilarating. "We don't need men. They're good for nothing anyway," she added quietly.

Gabrielle set the brush aside. "I know that you've been hurt by men and that's why you don't trust them. But they're not all bad," she said softly. "I was once married to a very loving man. And my father's a wonderful man, as are so many. You just haven't met the right ones yet."

"I could care less about meeting any more men. I don't trust them and I don't want to trust them." 

The bard gazed at the angry child for a long minute, feeling every word she said with the same anger. But she couldn't encourage that, even when she condoned it for herself. "Okay," she said. "how about you try to get some sleep? Its getting late and we've had a long day."

Rhiannon pulled up the corner of the blanket that slipped off her bare shoulder. "I'm not tired. I don't want to go to sleep yet," she whispered. 

"Alright, well, how about I tuck you into bed and I'll tell you a story?" 

"Sure." 

While the child crawled into the small cot and covered up, Gabrielle thought about what story to tell. Nothing was coming to mind until a story from her childhood popped into her head. She hadn't heard it for so long that it took her by surprise to remember it. "You all cozy now?" she asked, tucking the blankets around the small form. 

"Um-hmm. What story are you going to tell?"

"Its about a little girl, about your age," the bard began with a small smile. "Once, a long time ago, before the time of ancient gods, warlords, and kings, there lived a little girl in the care of three nymphs, or fairies. They had raised the child since infancy after her parents were no longer able to care for her."

"What happened to her parents?" Rhi cut in.

"Eh, they had to move to another land without many resouces and didn't have the means to care for the child. So, they handed her over to the nymphs," Gabrielle faltered, hoping that explanation would suit the child. 

"Oh. Okay. You can go ahead now."

"Anyway, they were all the girl knew of family and vice versa. The problem was, though, even though the child would tell them she loved them, they could never really say that back," the blonde said in a speculative voice. "You see, nymphs aren't very well equipped when it comes to feelings."

"That's too bad."

"Yes, it is," Gabrielle nodded empathetically. "Well, one day the girl became very ill and then died not long after. The fairies became distraught and tried every trick and spell known to their kind to bring her back, but nothing worked."

"That's so sad."

"Very," the bard agreed. "but wait, its not over yet." She smiled. "So, the day of the funeral they sat around her to say their goodbyes, when the eldest of the fairies began to cry. 'You know, I'm going to miss her so much. I..loved her. But..I didn't realize it until now.' And the other two chimed in, admitting that they loved the little girl too. One by one they said their goodbyes--and their 'I love yous' to the child.

"When they were about to close the sarcophagus, a sound from inside caught their attention. The child's leg moved, then her right arm. To the utter amazement of the others, the girl opened her eyes and managed to sit up.

" 'What were you doing? Were you trying to bury me?'

"The nymphs protested, exclaiming that she was dead. 'Well,' said the girl as she climbed out of the box. 'I was. But you brought me back.' 

" 'How? We tried every spell there is,' said the youngest. 

" 'Spells?' the child scoffed. 'It had nothing to do with spells. I came back when you finally realized that you loved me.'

"It was from that day on that they never went one day without saying I love you.. to the girl and to each other," Gabrielle finished.

"That's a nice story," Rhiannon commented. "but its not true."

"You're right, its not. Its just a fairy tale. However, there is a moral."

"What's a moral?"

"The point or lesson of a story. And the moral of this one is that love is the most important, strongest force in the world, Rhiannon. The lack of it can kill a person and the abundance of it can bring one back from the very depths of the grave. Never forget that."

Rhiannon never did.

**************

Early the next morning, before the sun could begin its upward journey, Xena was up and ready to leave. She had gathered together her things, few as they were without Gabrielle's items. 

Once she finished putting on her armor and sword, the warrior sat down in the wicker chair next to Gabrielle's bed. The bard lay on her side with her hair draped over the side of her face, lips parted slightly in peaceful slumber. For the first time in more than three days she had actually gotten a full night's sleep. All thanks to the tea Xena had given her last night. Unknowingly, she had taken a good dose of a sleep-inducing herb her friend slipped into the liquid. 

The warrior chuckled, remembering how her companion had gone from a state of alterness to a deeply sedated phase within minutes. Thankfully, Xena had been in the room at the time. Gabrielle started nodding off sitting up next to Rhiannon's bed and ended up falling right over onto the floor. 

"You take care of yourself until I get back," Xena whispered to the sleeping blonde. She smoothed the hair off Gabrielle's face and smiled at the relaxed look underneath. "And stay out of trouble," she added with a friendly pat of the slender arm as she stood. 

Xena turned her gaze to Rhiannon for a few minutes before turning out of the hut to greet the morning sun and the mission ahead of her.

*************

"Gabrielle, there you are," Ephiny said making her way through the crowd. The bard's welcome home cermony had just ended and it seemed that every amazon in the village wanted to speak to her.

Gabrielle smiled and turned to the regent queen. "Hi there. I'm sorry I haven't been able to come talk to you yet..." She gestured helplesly at the amazons around her.

Ephiny chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It seems like you're quite popular today. At least you look like you feel a bit better then yesterday so you can keep up with it," she said with a small grin.

"Yeah, I really slept sound last night," the bard said with wonder in her voice. How she managed to sleep last night when she hadn't in so many days escaped her. "I think I needed it," she said smiling. "Now I should be able to actually be alert today." She glanced around her with anticipation, looking forward to being back into the life at the village. Aside from traveling with the warrior, Amazonia always felt like her true home. She only wished Xena was there.

Rhiannon clung tightly to Gabrielle's side. The steady buzz of conversation above her head made her sleepy. She just laid her head against the side of the bard's leg when she felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. Slowly, she turned around and came face to face with a girl of about nine.

"Hi there!" the girl said brightly. "I'm Fernanda. My friends call me Fer, or Nanda, or Ferdi, or well, anything that shortens up my name," she said with a grin. 

Fernanda had a petite, thin frame that made her look almost breakable, although she was healthy. Her light chestnut brown hair hung down to her shoulders and was slightly wavy. With her dark eyes, rosy cheeks, and a warm smile Rhiannon couldn't remain shy. 

"I'm Rhiannon. People sometimes call me Rhi or Ann." She smiled back.

"Yeah, I heard you announced at the ceremony," Ferdi gave the girl a smile. "So, what do you think of the village?"

"I like it. Everyone is nice and there's no men," the child replied in her whispery voice. 

The elder girl giggled. "I'm glad you like it. So, wanna go play or something? There's nothing to do here anyway."

"Oh, I don't know," Rhi said uncertainly.

"C'mon, it'll be fun. You don't want to just stand here and listen to adults talk, do you?"

"Well, no.." Rhiannon, a bit hesitantly tapped Gabrielle's hand. "Gabby? May I please go play with Fernanda?"

Gabrielle turned from her conversation and looked down at the girls. "Hi Fernanda," she greeted the familiar young amazon kindly.

"Hi Gabby," Ferdi replied easily. "Is it alright if Rhi comes out to play?"

One good thing about the children here in the village, the bard thought, was that if you told them to, they'd skip the "Queen" prefix to her name. "Sure, I suppose it wouldn't hurt." She glanced at the little blonde who seemed to be for the idea.

"Great! Let's go," Ferdi didn't waste a second and took Rhiannon's hand. Together they made their way through the sea of leather boots and brown skirts. 

Eventually, they made their way out of the crowd and Fernanda released the child's hand. "I like your doll. She's pretty," she said, noting the toy in the child's arm. "What's her name?"

"Precious."

"That's a nice name. I had a doll once. I think." 

Rhiannon gave the brunette a confused look. "What do you mean? Don't you remember?"

"Nah, I don't actually." Fernanda laughed it off and changed the subject. "So, what do you want to play?" 

"I dunno. What's there to do?"

"Hm. Do you like horses? We could go for a ride."

The thought of riding again, after the four consecutive days of it, did not sound appealing. But she wasn't about to argue with her new playmate. "Okay, if you want to."

"Great," Fernanda said happily and took the girl's hand again, this time dragging her over to a hut. "But first you'll need to change your clothes. It'll be hard to ride in them," she commented, glancing down at Rhi's ankle-length skirt.

"Um, no. I don't think that's a good idea." Rhiannon rubbed her hand across her stomach nervously.

"Why? Aren't you hot in those clothes anyway?" 

"Well, yes, but--"

"That's what I thought. You can borrow some of my old clothes."

Rhiannon couldn't be mad at her, it was obvious Ferdi was just trying to be of help. But still, her bruises weren't completely vanished.

"Just a minute," Fernanda said, breaking the girl from her thoughts.

The blonde turned to see Ferdi bent over and into a large wooden trunk. Only her waist to her ankles was visible, the rest was submerged into the trunk. After a few minutes she turned around and thrust a crimson skirt and shirt into the child's arms. "Here ya go. They were mine when I was your age."

Rhiannon looked down at the clothes in her hands. They were beautiful and definitely amazon. Hanging from the halter top were little colorful beads and feathers suspended on strings of leather. "Thank you," she said with a smile.

"No prob. You can change in that curtain over there." She pointed to a curtain-adorned doorway. 

With a resigned sigh, Rhiannon retreated to the small dressing room. She set her doll down and then stepped gracefully out of her heavy dress. A small draft of cool air crept up her spine and made tiny goosebumps explode along her arms and legs as she slipped into the new outfit. 

She turned to the mirror. Whew, it was just baggy enough to cover a few of the larger bruises. She smoothed the crinkled skirt and stepped out of the curtain. "What do you think?" she asked a bit self-conciously.

"Looks great," Fernanda said enthusiastically. "A little baggy, but you'll grow into it."

"You mean I can keep it?" 

"Sure you can. I have no use for it cuz I'm not going to get that small again." She grinned. "Ready to go riding?"

"Sure." Rhiannon stepped back through the curtain only to retrieve her doll and clothes. She set them on the wooden chest and followed Fernanda out of the hut.

They walked together through the knee-high grass behind the huts until they reached a fenced in, trodden field of wheat. Inside were nearly two dozen horses.

"There's mine over there." Fernanda pointed out a white speckled pony. She took off running over to it, in the process startling some of the other horses. Rhiannon watched in admiration as the young girl expertly mounted the animal without saddle, bit, or bridle.

What a perfect life, Rhiannon thought wistfully as the brunette rode up next to her. No men here at all, no reason to be scared. It was a place she had dreamed about many times during episodes of the more violent abuse.

"Ready?" Ferdi asked, extending her hand.

Forgetting all about her reluctance to be on a horse again, Rhi nodded enthusiastically and accepted the help onto the foal. "What's its name?" 

"_Her _name is Terra," she replied, patting the furry neck fondly. "And she's a great horse. You don't even need a saddle or anything to ride her." Ferdi waited until the girl had wrapped her arms around her waist. Then with a click of her tongue they were off.

Rhiannon, startled by the sudden lightning pace, instinctively buried her face into the back of the older girl's shoulder. 

Ferdi chuckled. "Hang on, Rhi, we've got a minor speed bump coming up..."

Oh gods, she thought and squeezed her eyes shut tight. All of a sudden they were airborne. Although it was only for the briefest moment, her stomach jumped frightfully.

"There. We're out of the fence now," Fernanda announced slowing down.

Rhiannon's grip on the girl lessened and she opened her eyes. "Remind me next time to wait for you on the other side of the fence, ok?"

Fernanda laughed. It was a soft, lilting sort of sound, almost musical. Rhiannon smiled. It was one of the best sounds she'd ever heard.

***************

Xena rode along a deserted path, at a now slower pace than she had started out with. Although she had incredible ability to focus, her mind kept wandering to thoughts about Gabrielle and Rhiannon. What would life be like traveling with a child? Or would they travel? Would Gabrielle want to stay in Amazonia with Rhi? Xena wasn't sure she could stay put permanently. She had a hard enough time staying in the village--any village--for even a fortnight.

Of course, she didn't want to leave Gabrielle. There was no one she'd be more lost without. But would their friendship change with a child in their lives? A pang of jealousy hit her, followed promptly by a wave of guilt. Never did she begrude her best friend or the child an ounce of happiness, but she couldn't help wondering how things would turn out. 

Thankfully, a small community appeared in the near distance, once again returning her attention to the task at hand. She spurred Argo on with renewed determination and hoped to find a clue to where Jorius was in the upcoming town.

****************

Sprawled out beneath a large cypress were the two girls. Fernanda lay on her back with her head resting in upturned palms, while Rhiannon sat a few feet away with her back resting against the trunk of the tree. Terra stood nearby munching on the remains of a carrot given to her by her mistress.

They sat in companionable quiet for awhile, until the older girl spoke up. "Rhi, can I ask you a question?" 

"Sure."

"Why do you have bruises all over?" she asked hesitantly.

Rhiannon's heart lept alarmingly in her chest and for a split second she was tempted to flee. "I, uh, just fell, that's all." It wasn't completely untrue.

Disbelieving, Ferdi sat up and moved herself to face the reserved little blonde. "C'mon, I'm not stupid. People don't get bruises like this," She reached over and slightly lifted Rhi's arm. "from falling," she said gently. "Now really, what happened?"

At the moment, Rhiannon couldn't bear to look at her companion. She felt too ashamed and thought she might cry. What if Fernanda thought it was all her fault? "I got hit alot." She swallowed hard. 

"By Xena and Gabrielle?" Ferdi knew the duo and couldn't imagine them inflicting harm on a child.

"No, no," Rhi was quick to correct. "Not them. It was my grandparents." She rubbed the bruises on her arm self-consciously. 

And so, fighting tears and her fear, Rhiannon's story came winding out, one unhappy fact after another. She skimmed over the details though, afraid of even speaking of those acts. By the time she had finished, a solitary tear had managed to slip down her cheek. She wiped at it angrily.

Fernanda sat in troubled, commiserating silence watching the girl who couldn't even bring herself to look at her. Now she understood why she spoke in such quiet tones. It was her way of protecting herself.

When Rhiannon had finished, she ventured to speak. "I'm very sorry," she said, for the first time since they met sounding like the nine year old she was and not a girl of much older. "People--kids 'specially--shouldn't have to go through that." She scooted over to the young one's side and put an arm around her, mindful of the bruises. "Well, I promise you won't get hurt here. No one else will ever hit you if I'm around." She smiled so warmly that Rhi couldn't doubt.

"Thank you," whispered the little blonde. 

"Hey, don't mention it," Fernanda said with a light shrug. She removed her arm and replaced it in her lap. "Besides," she went on after a pause, "I know what its like to feel scared and without family."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, its nothing," Ferdi said looking away. "Its just that I don't have a family, either."

Rhiannon waited for her to go on.

"I never knew my dad. He was gone before I was born and Mother never spoke a word about him. But that wasn't a big deal to me. No, I had my mom and that was all I needed."

"What happened to her?"

"She was killed." Fernanda spoke emotionlessly, staring straight ahead as if she had practiced blocking this pain for quite some time. "It was such a stupid incident that I can hardly believe it." She drew a breath. "Mom went into town one day to pick up some food and saw a fight taking place between two young men. Being the peacemaker she was, she of course, tried to interfere. Didn't work though. The fight got more violent and mom got caught in the crossfire. Or at least, that's what I've been told." Her voice turned to a combination of biterness and sorrow. 

"I had no family I could live with so I ran off. Supposedly I've got an aunt on my mother's side that lives somewhere in Crete, but who knows? I wasn't going to go searching for some nameless woman who might not even want me, should I ever find her."

Quietly, Rhiannon asked, "So how did you end up here?"

"I wandered until someone found me. Fortunately, it was the amazons. They took me in and this is where I've been the past two years." The brunette looked down at her hands, pretending that her nails were extremely interesting. "And they've been real good to me. But..its just not like a real family, you know?"

Rhiannon nodded as knowingly as a seven year old could and slipped her hand into the slightly bigger one of the girl next to her. She was trying to return some of the previous comfort she had been shown. "Well, I can be your friend." She offered a smile. "And friends are always the best kind of family, right?" 

Fernanda squeezed the small hand. "Right."

They looked at each other and smiled, instantly becoming best friends. There was a bond between them; an invisible thread that bound them together for all their tomorrows. The thread of lost families and the irrepressible need to be cared for and loved by another. 

****************

She had traveled for the better part of a day and now the sun was starting to slip beneath the horizon. Argo's sides were slick with sweat and her muscles quivered in exhaustion. Xena sighed. She knew she'd been pushing her horse extremely hard in her quest to seek justice. Or was is revenge?

Xena pulled the mare off the road to rest awhile. She dismounted and removed the saddle from Argo's back so she could graze without the extra weight. After taking a peach from the food bag, she sat down underneath the shade of a willow tree. 

The warrior took a bite of the succulent fruit but didn't bother to savor the taste. Two things were bothering her at the moment. The first of which being that, out of the six towns she had been through, not one had seen or even heard of Jorius and his wife. She wasn't even sure she was headed in the right direction.

But that wasn't the major issue. What was upsetting her most right now was Gabrielle's attitude about the whole situation. It was a thought she had replayed a thousand times within the past few days: why the bard was so affected by Rhiannon's past. True, one would have to be completely heartless not to be touched and hurt by her story, but Gabrielle reacted in a way that Xena didn't anticipate. She was even to the point of being physically ill about it. Amazing how she could throw up so much when there was nothing in her stomach. 

And plainly, it scared Xena. There was a thought that she had tried to keep at the back of her mind that was now floating to the front. "Not you Gabrielle. Please, not you."

Xena had finished the peach and stared down thoughtfully at the pit of it in her hand. She thought about how her heart used to be like that, hard, dark, and marred. But then Gabrielle walked into her life and changed her. The young woman's innocence, purity, and light had broke through her heart of stone. Gabrielle made the world look good again. 

The bard had never condoned murder without a trial, even for criminals, but now she was allowing Xena to go off and kill a man. Gabrielle was letting hate blind her this time and it made the warrior feel insecure. Without her best friend's insistence on fair judgment, she felt lost.

*****************

Two weeks, Gabrielle thought as she flopped down in a chair. It had been two weeks since Xena left. It was the longest amount of time they had been separated since the time she went to the Athens Academy of Performing Bards. 

The bard tried not to think about it, but she missed her best friend. She was never lacking in things to do here at the village but things just weren't the same without her companion. 

With a sigh she gazed through the window at Rhiannon and Fernanda playing. They were tossing a ball back and forth between each other, giggling and chatting all the while they were doing it. 

Gabrielle marveled at the numerous similarities in their friendship and her and Xena's. Physically, Rhiannon was small, blonde, and light-eyed. Fernanda on the other hand was a little taller, dark haired, with dark blue eyes. In personality, the older girl was strong, smart, insightful, and quick-witted, while Rhiannon was shy, inquisitive, and eager. Their qualities were almost a parallel to that of Xena's and her own.

One positive thing that had happened in the course of their stay so far was that she had heard Rhiannon laugh. A genuine, elated giggle. It was in response to some joke Fernanda told. It amazed Gabrielle that she had remembered how to laugh.

But even though this had occured, the bard knew there was a big hurdle to overcome yet. Rhi would need to talk about the abuse. For the past week her nightmares had become more and more violent. Last night Gabrielle had held her for hours on end while she sent ear spilitting screams shattering the silence of the night. Thus, neither of them had gotten much sleep at all over the past weeks. 

"Tonight Rhiannon. We're going to talk tonight." 

***************

"I'm not ready yet."

"Hurry up!" he hissed.

"Look," Avella said, finally getting into her husband's face with a defiant look. "We've been at this for more than two whole weeks. We've been through about a hundred godsforsaken towns with no sign of her," she threw her hands up in frustration. "Face it, the little bitch is gone. The better for us. Just let her die out there in the wilderness." 

Before she could turn away Jorius grabbed her chubby arms roughly. "No!" he spat. "Someone must pay. She's that someone. We're going to try heading in the other direction now. We'll find her." 

**************

"Are you going to tell me another story tonight?"

"Actually Rhiannon, I was wondering if we'd be able to talk."

"What about?"

"About the abuse," Gabrielle said gently but directly. 

"No. I don't want to." Rhiannon shook her head from side to side.

The bard was prepared for an arguement. "I know you don't. But you have to talk about it, if not to me then to anyone you feel comfortable with. If you don't let that out its going to eat you up inside."

"I can't," the child whined, her whispery voice strained. "It hurts too much and I'll cry."

Gabrielle took Rhiannon's face in her hands and looked down into her eyes. "It is okay to hurt and its okay to cry. In fact, if you have a really good cry I bet you'll feel much better." She released her hold. "Now, will you talk about it?"

Rhiannon drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She lowered her chin to her kneecaps and stared down at the wooden floor. She was silent so long that Gabrielle thought she wasn't going to respond. Finally, she began, "The hitting started about two weeks after I went to stay with them. I knew they didn't really like me, but I didn't know they hated me until I broke one of Avella's glass plates. That's when Avella slapped me across the face." She flinched at the remembrance of it. 

"The hitting came daily after that. It hurt alot, but the bruises would heal sooner or later." She shut her eyes and breathed deeply. "I didn't know that Jorius was going to start punishing me next." She opened her eyes and flicked her gaze up at Gabrielle. "You know the rest, so I'm done." 

Gabrielle sighed slightly. "You need to talk about what Jorius did to you. It'll hurt you all the more if you keep it inside. Just tell what you feel you can about it. I'm not going to make you say anything you really don't want to, I'm just trying to help."

All of a sudden Rhiannon felt hot anger taking over her, burying her sense of sadness for the moment. "You wanna know what happened to me?" She pushed herself off the chair, walked halfway across the room, then turned to look at the bard with blazing eyes. "I'll tell you," she pointed her finger at the woman, shaking in fury. "That son of a bitch I'm supposed to call grandfather took me into his bed and did things to me that you're even too young to know about," her voice cracked and she stepped up to Gabrielle. "I could tell you details that would make you sick and give you nightmares for a month."

Gabrielle could only stare at the girl, almost not recognizing her in this new state. She spoke so full of hate and pain that it seemed she'd endured a lifetime of abuse, not just a few long years.

"But I won't," she continued. "I don't need to tell you the details to heal. And I don't want to talk about them anyway. It only makes me sick to repeat what he did." Rhiannon stopped for a minute, breathing slowly to regain whatever shread of composure she had. 

"But you know what I don't get?" she asked when she could speak again. "I don't get why. I never asked for this, I never told him it was alright to do what he did. I told Jorius 'no'." The child raised her eyes to again meet Gabrielle's and they began to tear up. "Why did he do that to me, Gabrielle?"

The bard raised her fingertips to her lips and shut her eyes against the glare of brokeness coming from the little girl. When she opened them again two crystal teardrops cascaded down her face. "Oh sweetheart." She picked the child up and cradled her in her lap. 

The comfort finally broke the anger in Rhi and she began to sob. She buried her face in Gabrielle's soft chest and whimpered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." 

Gabrielle rocked the small one back and forth like she did the day she'd first found Rhiannon's bruises. "You don't apologize," she said sternly and compassionately as she licked the salty tears off her own lips. "You did nothing wrong, Rhiannon. Jorius hurt you because he is sick, NOT because of anything you did." She stared ahead, fighting back the nausea that threatened to attack. "Don't you ever feel guilty for what happened. Its Jorius' fault, all of it. And he's going to pay."

*****************

"You sure you haven't seen them?"

"I'm sure," came the curt reply.

With a discouraged look Xena pulled Argo's reins and they continued to make their way through town. She tried asking everyone she met if they'd seen either Jorius or Avella but to no avail. Disappoinment etched in her bronze face, she began to leave the village. As she was exiting the gates, a few words of a nearby conversation drifted to her ear:

"...about three feet tall, seven years old, dishwater blonde hair. Have you seen her?" 

Xena pulled Argo to a stop so she could get a better listen.

"Please. My wife and I are sick with worry," the man's voice wavered in false concern.

After a swift dismount, the warrior went up next to the elderly man and woman who were interrogating a fruit vendor. "Excuse me," she cut in. "I believe I may be able to help." She struggled to remain in good temper.

The three of them relocated to a small alley. "You know where our grandchild is?" Jorius asked in a hopeful, if somewhat anxious voice. 

All Xena saw in those two pairs of eyes was pure hate. What unnerved her was that it was a reflecting of what she was feeling. She drew her sword and pointed it at the two offenders. 

Avella gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Drop the act, both of you. I can see right through it."

"What act?" The old woman tried to hide her fear of this tall leather-clad woman.

"You know what I mean." The warrior princess shot an icy glare at the woman then backed Jorius against the outer wall of one of the buildings. "Especially you. I know all about what you did to Rhiannon." She pointed the tip of her newly sharpened sword at his wrinkly throat.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said defiantly.

From the side Avella asked shakily, "Do you have her?" 

Ignoring both comments, Xena went on, "No child should be treated like that." Her eyes flashed with anger. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

"Please, I beg of you, don't kill him," Avella beseeched. "He's my husband. He's all I have." True, she didn't get along well with him, but deep down she did love him in her own way. 

By now a crowd had gathered to watch the confrontation. With this and Avella begging for her miserable husband's life, Xena felt she had no choice to back down. She couldn't kill this man in cold blood when others viewed him as innocent. "Swear to me that you'll leave Rhiannon alone. She's safe where she is," she said, boring her eyes into Jorius'. If looks could kill, he'd be on his way to Tartarus at that moment.

"Fine, fine, whatever." Jorius grumbled inching his neck away from the blade.

Xena held the sword to his neck for a moment longer before stepping away. "For your sake, you'd better keep your word."

"Thank you," Avella mumbled, joining her husband.

Xena only grunted in response as she resheathed his sword. With a sour face she pushed her way indelicately through the crowd of farmers and peasants and remounted Argo. "Yah! On girl!" She dug her heels into the mare's sides harder than she intended and they were off, leaving the crowd murmuring over the incident with confusion.

*******************

Gabrielle paced around the village, twirling her staff distractedly. Xena was still away; it had almost been a month. Part of her began to want to go search for her friend, find out if she'd found Jorius yet. But of course, with Rhiannon there and needing her, she wouldn't depart. 

Most thankfully, after that night of talking about the abuse Rhiannon appeared to blossom a bit. Not drastically, but enough so that progress was visible. Gabrielle managed to get her to talk more about the sexual abuse after all, which, as painful as it was, seemed to be what prompted the child's change in disposition. She knew Rhi had a very long and most likely unpleasant road of healing ahead yet, but the first step had been taken and she thanked the gods for that every day since. 

"My Queen," a voice from behind her began, "I've been looking for you."

Gabrielle turned. "Hi Solari. Something wrong?"

"No, not at all. I just wanted to know if you were interested in coming along with the hunting party. I know how restless you've been here."

"What about Rhiannon?"

"She and Fernanda are out riding again. Don't worry, they're safe." 

She should have guessed that. Since the two girls met they were inseperable. When you found one, you found the other. "Okay, I guess I could come along then. There's not a whole lot to do here anyway."

"Great," Solari said with a pleased grin.

As soon as the hunting party had assembled the seven of them headed out. Solari, Gabrielle, and a young amazon named Juliann brought up the rear as they chatted companionably about nothing in particular. 

The bard had just let out a guffaw in response to a comment from Solari when the brunette slapped a hand over her mouth. "Forgive me, my queen, but listen..."

The steadily nearing sound of a horse compelled the amazons to ready their weapons. They waited in position until a tall,willowy figure appeared before them on a cream colored horse. 

A broad smile broke out on Gabrielle's face. She'd returned!

With a collective sigh the amazons lowered their weapons. Xena forced a smile, but the bard could see through it. The warrior was plainly worn out. 

"You're back," Gabrielle said in a warm greeting as she came up next to Argo. 

"Yeah. About time, huh?" Xena said, her eyes resting on the figure of her best friend. She didn't dismount knowing that she would only be bombarded with questions from the amazons if she did. 

Picking up her companion's resistence, the bard turned to her amazon sisters. "Would it be alright if I went back to the village with Xena? I'll make up for it." 

"No problem, my queen," Solari said with a knowing smile. The other women nodded in agreement. 

"Thanks."

"I'll talk to you guys later," Xena said, helped the bard onto the mare, and rode off.

Within only a few minutes Gabrielle and Xena entered the heart of the village. They were just getting off the mare when Rhiannon spotted them. "Xena!" she called, running over to the warrior.

Not paying attention to anyone who may have been watching, Xena scooped up the child in a flourish and smiled at her with delight. She looked so good! Her body had filled out considerably, the bruises were almost completely gone, and in the present moment she looked genuinely happy. "Hi there Rhi, how've you been?"

"Oh, I've missed you Xena." 

It warmed the warrior's heart. "I missed you too, kiddo," she said giving her a little squeeze; for once not afraid of breaking her bones in embrace.

Gabrielle stood watching the two, marveling at Xena's maternal instinct and Rhiannon's response to it. She sighed contentedly, feeling like she was actually looking at a real family. 

"I know you want to talk to Xena, but why don't we let her sit down and get a little food in her stomach first, okay?" the bard asked with a wink. 

"Okay," Rhiannon replied agreeably and to the surprise of the warrior, planted a kiss on her cheek before scurrying out of the strong arms and back to her friend.

"She looks wonderful," Xena commented as they walked inside the large hut. 

"Doesn't she? Rhiannon's really been thriving here."

"I'm proud of you. You've really taken on a new responsibility with her." The raven haired woman sat down on one of the beds and removed the scabbard from her back. 

Gabrielle blushed slightly and took a seat across from Xena on Rhiannon's cot. "So, how did it go? You look awful." She took note of the dark rings under her friend's eyes and the cheekbones that protruded more than usual. It was funny; it seemed lately that if it wasn't one of them falling apart it was the other. The bard wondered momentarily what would happen if they didn't have each other.

Xena rubbed her neck trying to undo the knot there. "Haven't gotten much sleep lately."

Gabrielle nodded and moved across the room to sit behind her companion. "I can tell." She tapped the woman's hands away and took over massaging the knot out of her neck. 

"I didn't kill him Gabrielle."

The bard's hands paused. "What?"

"I didn't kill Jorius. I couldn't."

She was stilled for a moment longer. "Why?"

Xena sighed and let her head fall forward. "His wife was there, begging for his life. There was a crowd gathered and...and I guess I just lost my nerve. I hate him, Gab. I hate him like I've never hated anyone, but I couldn't kill him." She spoke as if she'd committed a great sin by not killing another human being.   
"I'm sorry." 

The smaller woman's thumb resumed the small circles over the lump in the warrior's neck. "Oh."

"I made him swear to leave Rhiannon alone. I don't think he'd risk going against that. I'm sorry I disappointed you," she said again.

Having worked the tension from her friend's neck, Gabrielle moved to sit beside Xena. "Don't be. I shouldn't have asked you to kill him. I sent you out to do something I wanted to but was too scared to do. I'm the one who owes you an apology." She let her breath wind out through a small part in her lips.

Xena turned her head to study the side of the face of her soulmate. Now, more than ever, she could see how their past three years together had matured her. And despite everything the young woman had gone through and endured, she still emitted a glow that never failed to light up the warrior's darkest nights. 

She put a consoling arm around Gabrielle's shoulder. "I know this whole ordeal is a mess. But, we're going to find the way through this, you, I, and Rhiannon. Together." 

*****************

To Be Continued in Part III

  


   [1]: mailto:gkehring@tds.net




	3. Fragile Innocence Part III

FragileInnocencePart3

**Disclaimer**: Xena, Gabrielle, Ephiny, Solari, and Argo are property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance. I in no way intend to infringe on their copyright. All other characters in the story are my own creation. Also, the poem "Fragile Innocence" is mine. If you'd like to use it, please ask me first.

**Warning**: This story deals with the aftermath of physical and sexual child abuse. Though it is not in great detail, this story does have a dark theme. Please proceed with caution, especially if you are particularly sensitive to this subject. Also, there is mild use of some cuss words, nothing too severe though.

Fragile Innocence

by [][1]Gabby Bard Part III

Things in the amazon village passed quietly and smoothly one month after another. Rhiannon was still thriving and now growing like a weed. Almost constantly by her best friend Fernanda's side, she was as close to a healthy, happy child as one could expect. Her nightmares had also become much less freqeuent.

"Are you sharpening that sword again?" 

"There's not much else to do," Xena answered flatly.

Gabrielle smiled empathetically and sat down on the bench next to her friend. She tilted her head back and let the mid-morning sun shine warmly on her face and neck. When she thought back on the time spent there, she could hardly believe they had been in the village for a whole year now. 

The bard turned her head to look at the warrior. She knew that Xena was nearly going crazy with anxiety but hid it well enough. It was for Rhiannon's benefit that she had stuck around so long already. Deny it all she would, but the warrior princess had fallen in love with the child. Anyone with eyes could see that.

"Hi Xena, Gabs!" A perky voice called from nearby. Rhiannon, riding bareback on her horse, came trotting past them. Her voice rang out clear and strong. The use of whispers and inaudible phrases had been gone for the past six months.

"Hi Rhi," they called back unanimously. 

The girl smiled at them before moving on. Xena was amazed at the child's natural riding skill. After Fernanda had given her a few lessons she could ride like the wind.

"She's getting better on that horse, isn't she?" Ever since Gabrielle had given the right of caste to the child last fall, Rhiannon being the tribe princess, was given lots of nice things; one of which was her new horse Freedom. The name was very fitting.

"I'm proud of her," Xena agreed. "She's a natural."

"Just like you, huh?"

Xena shrugged modestly as she sheathed her sword. "Look Gab," she began, "I want to talk to you about something."

The bard turned her head again to look at her. "About?"

"About being here. Gabrielle, I'm just not made for village life. If the sisters ask me to go on a group hunting expedition one more time, I'm gonna scream."

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle. "I know this lifestyle is hard on you. And I'm so happy that you've stayed so long already. But I know what you're trying to say. You want to leave."

Xena hesitated. "Yes, actually I do." She took a deep breath. "But I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. You and Rhiannon are happy here. I don't want to disturb that."

"Xena, I love seeing Rhiannon the way she is now, but I don't want to be here without you. If you leave, I'm going with you."

The warrior wasn't sure this was what she wanted to hear. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I didn't leave Potedaia to stay in the amazon village. I left to be with you."

A smile crossed Xena's lips involuntarily. "Well, I'm glad I know I don't have to now find a way to live my life without you," she said with a playful look that faded to seriousness after a moment. "We should go tell Rhiannon."

"Yes we should," Gabrielle said reluctantly. "By the way, thanks for staying as long as you did. I know how hard it was for you sometimes."

Xena said with a smile, "It was easy when I was doing it for you and Rhi."

Later that evening while Xena was talking with Ephiny, Gabrielle waited near the stables for Rhiannon to come back from riding. Not long after she'd gotten there the bard saw the child and her smiling friend part company for the time being. Rhi came riding over on her horse with a pert look. 

"Guess what?" she bubbled excitedly. "Ferdi and I are learning how to use a staff, just like you!"

Gabrielle smiled warmly. "Really? How's it going?"

"Great! Ferdi's really good at it just like everything else she does," Rhiannon said with a look of admiration. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, noticing an apprehensive look on the bard's face.

"Well, I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Uh oh." She knew that an unpleasant conversation always followed those words. "Why don't I like the sound of that?"

Gabrielle searched her mind for a way to break the news peacefully. "Its about Xena and I...we're thinking of leaving the village, go back to life on the road." 

Rhiannon felt a shiver of fear shoot through her as she slid off her horse. "But why? Aren't you happy here?"

"Its not that. Its just that we're so used to a life on the road that staying in a village for so long is kinda hard," she said, not wanting to single Xena out as the reason to leave. It was a combined descision and that's how she wanted to present it. Gabrielle saw the girl staring forlornly at the ground. She went over to her, and kneeling down, looked up into her watery blue eyes. "Oh hun, don't cry. You know I hate to see you sad. Don't worry, Xena and I will be back to visit you as often as we can. And--"

"You're leaving me here?" The girl gulped loudly.

"Well, I thought that since you were so well adjusted that you'd like to stay here. Besides, its so much safer than traveling on the road with us."

Tears began to form in the corner of Rhiannon's eyes and she made no effort to conceal them. "But you said you'd never leave me! You promised me you'd always be here for me!"

Gabrielle drew the child into her arms in a motion to comfort her. The girl fought for the first few moments then relaxed. "Okay, shh." She couldn't imagine why Rhiannon would want to come with them when everything had everything she could want right there. "If you really want to come along, you can."

***************

"You told her that?"

"Xena, what was I suppose to do? She began to cry and reminded me that I said I'd always be here for her. I couldn't tell her no."

"And what if Jorius is still out there?"

"I don't know. You intimidated him so he should leave her alone. We'll just have to keep a low profile."

"Gabrielle, I don't know...it isn't safe to travel with a child."

"Xena, please. I can't just leave her here and I don't want to stay here without you."

Inwardly, the warrior felt ashamed for her decision to leave. Everyone was depending on her. If she left, Gabrielle left. If Gabrielle left, Rhiannon wanted to go. But Xena couldn't stay, even though she loved the child dearly, it just wasn't her. 

"She can come, Gabrielle."

******************

"Nanda, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure Rhi. Anything wrong?"

"Ah, actually, I don't have such great news."

Fernanda looked up from the scroll she was reading, eyes filled with concern. "What's wrong?"

Rhiannon sighed and sat on the floor near her friend's chair. She was dreading this conversation all the way over to Fernanda's hut. "I'm leaving," she blurted out not wanting to beat around the bush.

"Leaving? You mean, like out for a few hours?"

"Um, no." The blonde girl averted her eyes. "Actually, I mean I'm leaving the amazon village--for good."

The brunette just about dropped the scroll she was holding. "What! Why? When?"

Rhiannon sighed and raked her long fingers through her long hair. "Gabrielle and Xena want to get back to their life on the road. Staying here isn't their thing," she said hesitantly.

"Well, I can understand that. But why do you have to go with them? This is your home now."

The younger girl looked up into the light brown eyes searching for understanding. "I know. I know it is. But..." she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Compassion got the better of her and Ferdi set down her scroll so she could take the girl's hand. "You don't know how to be without them," she finished.

Rhi looked up into the eyes of her best friend and greatest strength. "Right."

Ferdi nodded. "I understand, Rhi." She gave her friend a strong smile. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Hey, I'm going to miss you too, so much." She looked down guiltily. "Fernanda, I want you to know that just because I'm leaving with them, it doesn't mean that you're less important to me. You know, my mom used to say that twisting paths always cross again. And who's paths are more twisted than ours?" She grinned. "You will always be my amazon sister. My sister and best friend." 

"Right back at ya kiddo," Ferdi replied with the bravest look she could muster.

********************

"We're going to miss having you three around," Ephiny said handing Gabrielle her staff.

"Don't worry, we'll be back to visit often. Right Xena?"

"Right," the warrior replied. "Besides, its the least we can do in return for the amazon's protection of Rhiannon this last year."

Ephiny shrugged modestly. "It was our pleasure. She's been great for the community."

"Speaking of our little woman of the hour," said Gabrielle. "where is Rhiannon?"

"She went to tell Fernanda that we're ready to leave."

As if on cue, the two girls came around the corner of the nearest building and ambled over to the group. 

"We're ready when you are, Rhi," Gabrielle announced as she completed packing the bags. 

The young girl nodded. "I've got my things packed." She handed them her small bag of clothing and other possessions. 

As Xena and Gabrielle said their goodbyes to Ephiny, Solari, and a few other amazons, the girls said their goodbyes as well.

"You gonna be okay Ferdi?" Rhiannon asked with genuine concern. She hated to see her best friend look so desolate.

"Sure Rhi. Don't worry about me, ok?"

The child didn't reply, blinking away tears. She'd never been good at farewells, and she hated the thought of leaving the sister of her heart.

"Hey, don't cry. You'll get me started," Fernanda chided gently with a rueful grin.

"Sorry. I just don't want to leave you." Uneasiness about her descision crept into her mind. "Maybe I should stay here..."

The older girl was quick to turn down the idea. "No. You need to be with them." No one knew so well what it was like to want to be with the only family you had. 

"What about you?"

"I'm happy if you're happy. And anyway, I've got all these adoptive mothers to take care of me." She winked.

Rhiannon gazed at her friend for a long moment then stuffed a small figure into her friend's hands. "I want you to have this."

Fernanda looked down with astonishment. "Your doll? No Rhi, you love this thing. It was your first gift from Gabrielle." She tried to hand it back but the girl refused. 

"I have Gabrielle. And besides, you said you can't remember the last time you had a doll. This way you'll have one, and it'll be a reminder of me."

A smile slowly slid across her lips. "I'll take good care of her for you," she resolved. Fernanda reached into her pocket and withdrew a string of beautiful glass beads interchanged with feathers. "While we're exchanging things, this is for you." She held it out.

Rhiannon took the string and looked down at it admiringly. "Its beautiful. Did you make it?"

"Yep. Its a friendship necklace. You know, something for you to remember me with."

"Thank you so much. But you know, I don't need a reminder. I'll always think of you."

Overhearing bits of the conversation, Ephiny said, "Hey, you two don't need to be so gloomy. Its not the last time you'll see each other, you know."

"She's right girls," Xena agreed. "And I hate to rush you two, but we really better be going if we want to cover any amount of ground by sundown."

Rhiannon glanced up at the warrior then back at her friend. "Okay." She slipped the necklace over her head, flipped her hair out from beneath it, and then threw her arms around Fernanda in a hug. 

Ferdi tucked Precious under her arm and returned the embrace with sincerity. "You take care, okay kid?" 

"You too, Fer. I'll be back someday, I promise."

"C'mon little one, we've got to go," the bard called as she and Xena took their place on Argo.

The girls released their hold on one another and smiled at each other, each for the other's sake. Rhiannon gazed at her her friend for only a moment longer before turning away to mount her own horse.

"You ready now?" Xena asked.

"Yep, I guess so."

"We'll keep in touch, okay?" Gabrielle said to Fernanda, seeing in her the same reluctance at the child's departure as Rhiannon was feeling. "And keep out of trouble, huh?" she added with a playful grin, trying to lessen the tension some as Xena snapped Argo's reins. 

Rhiannon sat atop Freedom and looked at the family she had come to know and love over the past year. Something in her heart made her feel she wouldn't see them again for a very long time. She wanted to say something, but felt the threat of tears so she smiled instead at them. She turned her smile then directly to Ferdi and turned her horse abruptly, following the warrior and bard out of the village.

********************

In three weeks they arrived in Delphi, a place Xena felt was far enough from where they'd found Rhiannon that she'd be safe. Nonetheless, they still agreed to keep more to themselves.

"I'm going to get Argo and Freedom some new horseshoes. They've put on a lot of miles these past weeks," Xena said, taking the reins of both animals in her hand. "Why don't you two browse or whatever?"

Gabrielle's face lit up. "Great idea. I can teach her how to haggle."

The warrior rolled her eyes dramatically. "Yeah, that's what we need, another you."

Rhiannon giggled to herself as she slid off her horse. That comment was sure to set the bard off.

"Oh? And just what's wrong with me?" Her lips were drawn into a straight line though her eyes betrayed the look of seriousness.

Xena swallowed her laughter. "Nothing Gab. Nothing at all."

Gabrielle gave the woman a suspicious look. "Uh-huh. That's what I thought."

Xena smirked. "You're spoiled, you know that?"

"_I'm _spoiled?" Gabrielle gaped with mock shock. "Who's the one who--"

"Look, I really hate to interrupt this soon to be catfight, but knowing you two this could go on all day. Could we please keep moving?" Rhiannon grinned. Actually, she loved seeing the two women banter like that but there was something she really wanted to shop for.

"She's right," Xena agreed, throwing her blonde companion an impish look before turning the horses around. "I'll meet you two inside the tavern for lunch in one hour, ok?" 

The bard nodded and let the little issue drop. "We'll be there. I just hope we don't lose track of time."

"Believe me, Gab, your stomach won't let that happen."

"Xena..."

"See ya later!" Xena called over her shoulder.

As they began to weave their way through the crowd Rhiannon said, "She just loves teasing you, doesn't she?"

"You have no idea." Gabrielle took the girl's hand so as not to lose her in the throng. "Is there anything in particular you want to look at?

"Well, I was hoping to find a present for Xena. Something to say thanks, you know, for everything she's done."

"That's very thoughtful of you," said Gabrielle with a smile. "but as you know, Xena isn't one for material possessions. I don't think she needs anything."

"I know," Rhiannon admitted. "I'll keep an eye out anyway."

Not long after, her eyes fell upon an intriguing item. She picked up a small rectangluar wooden box. Opening it up, Rhiannon saw there was an insciption on the inside cover. It read: _"Friends are the family we choose." _

"Its perfect!" she exclaimed.

"What is?" Gabrielle turned away from the cart of scarves she was looking at so she could see what the child had found. "Did you find something for Xena?"

"Well, no, but I found something that I'd really like to get for Fernanda." Rhiannon held out the box for the bard to see.

Gabrielle took the item and examined it. "Looks great. I'm sure she'll love it." She was fully aware of how much the little girl was missing her best friend. Turning to the merchant, she asked, "How much for this?"

The man's eyes gleamed at the prospect of making a purchase. "Six dinars."

The bard widened her eyes purposely. "Six dinars? Are you out of your mind? For that amount you'd better throw in the guy who made it!"

"Don't get cute with me," the vendor said, losing some of his eagerness as soon as he realized he had a haggler on his hands. "Its six dinars. I'm not going to negotiate. The wood to make that was expensive to get, you know."

Rhiannon peered at the man from the side of the cart, watching the interaction between him and Gabrielle with interest. 

"Hey, just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I'm dumb," Gabrielle said with a smirk. "This box is made out of oak. Comes a dinar a dozen around here." She watched in satisfaction as the guy reddened in obvious embarassment at being caught in his own lie. "I'll give you three dinars." 

"Three dinars? That's an insult! Five dinars. Final offer." 

"No way. There's a guy in the village next to you selling these things for one dinar. I'll give you two." 

"Five."

"One."

"Four."

"Two."

"Three."

"I'll take it." In the end, Gabrielle got it cheaper than it was worth. She gave the vendor a sweet smile and dropped the dinars, one by one, into his waiting palm. "You have a great day, now." She winked at the exasperated man before turning away.

The bard handed Rhiannon the item. "And that concludes your first lesson in haggling."

Rhi grinned. "That was great, Gabby! Where'd you learn to do that?" The bard didn't have her hand at the moment and she began walking a little further ahead on her own.

"I just picked it up along the way." Gabrielle smiled.

"I can't wait to take it to Ferdi." Rhiannon stopped and tucked the box into her shoulder bag. "When are we going back to the amazon village anyway?" She asked over her shoulder. No answer. "Gabrielle? Gabrielle?" Her voice rose in panic as she looked all around but didn't see her beloved bard anywhere in sight. Before she had even gotten the chance to take a single step forward in search of the woman, a rough man took her by the arms and led her away.

**********************

Xena drummed her fingers on the table impatiently. Where were they? It had been over an hour now. And it was very unusual for Gabrielle, rather Gabrielle's stomach, to miss a meal. 

Chill Xena, she thought. You're just being overprotective. They'll be here soon.

***************************

"We're trying to help you, little girl."

"Trying to help me do what?! I want to see my mother!" Rhiannon screeched. Xena and Gabrielle had told her time and time again that if she happened to get separated from them, she should stick with her alias and the rest of the plan. It was the best way to keep her safe.

"We know that woman isn't your mother," the judge said gently. "But don't worry. Your grandparents are on their way. They'll be so happy we found you."

Rhiannon felt her world come crashing down around her with fear that was nearly deafening. A tremor started in her toes and crept up her legs, spine, and back until she thought she'd fall over. "Oh my gods," was all she could mutter. They'll kill me! she thought in sheer terror. In an impulsive moment, she bolted from the stone building before anyone could stop her.

Xena, who was just coming out of the tavern in search of her friends, was hit full force by a half crying, hysteric child. "Rhiannon!" She bent down and stared at the child with concern. "What's wrong? Where's Gabrielle?"

"I don't know! I-I asked but they won't tell me."

"Who's 'they'?"

Rhiannon pointed to the large building she'd come from. "The judge."

"The judge? Why?" Xena wondered aloud.

"Xena?" the girl said in a trembling voice. "They're coming. Jorius and Avella."

The warrior had no time to respond, for two small, peasant-looking men strode over to them purposefully. "Rhiannon!"

*******************

"What do you mean they're coming to get her? I can't believe this!" Gabrielle paced back and forth across the small room.

"I knew it. We should have made Rhiannon stay at the village. Jorius' hate is stronger than his comon sense. I thought he'd let it go by now," Xena said aloud more to herself than to anyone else. She watched the bard pace in anxiety.

"She can't be with them! They'll hurt her all over again."

"Gabrielle, you don't need to convince me. I know this already. She's not safe with her grandparents."

"We can't let them take her away again."

"They won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Xena! Gabrielle!" A terrified voice broke their conversation. Rhiannon came running down the steps, through the dark hall lined with cells holding other criminals, and finally arrived at the one that kept Xena and Gabrielle captive. 

"Rhi, are you alright?" Gabrielle rushed to the bars. Her eyes scanned the girl's face for any injures. 

The child stood a few inches from the iron bars and looked at each woman in turn. She couldn't nod or speak. In the moment it was a miracle that she could breathe.

"Rhiannon. You're not supposed to be down here," Matthias, the judge said, following close behind.

Immeadiately, she ran over to the cell and clung to the door as if her life depended upon those bars of iron. "Please, I want to stay."

"I'm sorry, you can't."

"Why not?" Xena asked, riveting her dark blue eyes on the smaller gray ones of the judge. 

Matthias looked incredibly annoyed. "You kidnapped her. You're the offenders," he spoke as if he were explaining this to toddlers. "She has no place with you. Besides, her grandparents are coming; her rightful family."

"We are her rightful family!" Gabrielle cut in. "We rescued her from abuse!"

Never hearing anything of this before, the judge scoffed, "Criminals will say anything to sound believable."

Now it was Rhiannon's turn to be angry. "They are not criminals! Let them go!"

Matthias looked at her in confusion and amusement. "They're not going anywhere for awhile. Tomorrow, when your grandparents are here, there'll be a trial."

"What are you going to do with Rhiannon until then?"

"In cases like this when there's no family nearby we put the children in the local orphange for the night. There's always an available bed or two."

Xena nor Gabrielle cared at all for the idea. "No. Please, let her stay with us."

"Out of the question."

"What are you afraid of? We're not going anywhere." 

Matthias had to admit, Xena had a point. The women's weapons had been confiscated, there was only a small square of a window that was barred, and the walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of stone.

"Oh please, please,please!" Rhiannon chimed in.

"Fine!" The judge held up his hands in irritated surrender. "Keep an eye on them," he barked at the nearest gaurd before he spun on his heel and left. 

As soon as the gaurd unlocked the door, Rhiannon ran into the bard's open arms. It was there that she spent the last night with the closest thing to a loving family that she could remember.

*********************

When morning broke Gabrielle awoke to find Rhiannon curled into her like a kitten to its mother. Propping herself up on her elbow, she gently stroked the girl's hair. By now it had gone back to its original color and in the morning sun it shone like gold.

As she lay there gazing at the child, the bard tried to understand how one so small could steal her heart so quickly. She reflected on the first time she saw her, mezmerized by her haunting blue eyes. Oh how she'd changed since then!

Rhiannon's face was filled out and tinted by a slight but lasting blush. Her eyes, once cold and devoid of any emotion except fear, shone with the new love she had found in the bard and warrior. Save for a few small scars scattered on her skin, her brusies had all but faded. And best of all, Rhiannon had come to know true maternal love and what it meant to feel safe.

"I'm so scared of losing her," Gabrielle said, glancing over at Xena who was awake and had taken over her previous activity of pacing the floor. 

At the sound of her companion's voice, Xena turned to look at her. This is what she had wanted to protect her from in the first place: losing another child. So much for that now. "I know Gabrielle. I am too. Hopefully that won't happen, though."

"How can we stop it?"

The warrior sighed. That's exactly what she'd been trying all night to figure out. She couldn't just act on her impulse which was to instantly annihilate anyone who tried to take the child away. No, matters like this were delicate. She couldn't just execute people whom she thought to be guilty. "Rhiannon will have to testify against them."

"What? You know she won't do that."

"She has to Gabrielle. Its the only way."

The bard sighed wearily and lowered her face into the golden locks of the sleeping child. "I wish I could take you away from this."

About mid-morning Matthias sauntered downstairs in his long flowing robe and requested that Xena come up and talk to him. True, he did want to speak with the warrior about her side of the story, but more than that he wanted her out of the cell when Jorius and Avella arrived, and Rhiannon would have to be taken out to see them. Sure, the bard had a fiery temper, but if Xena got angered it could be a real danger. 

Morning melted away into early afternoon as Gabrielle and Rhiannon told stories, played little games, and talked; anything to keep their minds off the events sure to come soon. 

Not long after lunch a tall, rustic-looking gaurd came downstairs and over to their cell. Rhi recognized him as the man who hauled her out of the marketplace the other day. "Your grandparents are here. They want to see you," he said in a uniformly polite voice, looking directly at the child.

Rhiannon who was sitting on Gabrielle's lap started shaking so bad that the bard wondered if she were trembling or having a seizure.

"She's not ready yet."

Calmly, almost serenly, the man replied, "They've requested to see her and that they will. Its their right." A nearby sentry unlocked the door, allowing the man to enter. "C'mon Rhiannon. They've had a long trip, let's not keep them waiting." He held out his hand to her.

"No," she whispered, burying her head in Gabrielle's chest.

The bard looked down at the child with sorrowful eyes. It was all coming apart, everything they had worked so hard to attain. The child, well, actually, both the child _and _her had lost their appetites again, Rhiannon had battled violent nightmares during the small amount of sleep she had gotten the night before, and this morning her voice had reverted to that petrified whisper. All of it seemed lost, like she'd fallen back down the side of a mountain that took an eternity to climb. "I won't let you take her until she's ready," she said icily.

"You have no legal rights to say what happens and what doesn't in this child's life. Now either she comes to me or I'll take her from you." 

Rhiannon didn't budge, she couldn't. As warned, the gaurd walked across the cell and extracted the girl from Gabrielle's protective arms. 

"Leave her alone!" Gabrielle growled raising a fist.

The sentry that stood by the door stepped in and took her by the shoulders. "Don't make this harder on yourself that it has to be," the man snapped. He shook her slightly to emphazise the point.

Unfortunately, this was all the time that was needed by the other gaurd to whisk Rhiannon out of the cell. Struggle as she might, she couldn't pull her body out of the strong grasp. "Please..." she whispered achingly, giving the bard a pleading look before rounding the corner and disappearing from her sight.

Around the corner. Set on her feet and pulled by the hand. Up the stairs. Oh, so many stairs. Each one made her legs ache and her chest constrict. When she stood at the top of the stairwell and looked back down, she could scarcely believe there had only been six steps.

"Rhiannon!" A terrible voice frightened her out of her dazed state. There was no time to even attempt at getting her bearings before she was pressed between the breasts of a large woman reeking of cheap perfume and horse manure. Avella.

Like a statue, Rhiannon stood as still as stone, arms pressed tightly to her sides. Fleetingly, she wondered if she would suffocate within the embrace.

Avella, knowing that she had to put on a good show, hugged the child all the tighter and cooed, "We missed you so much, our little Rhiannon. Our beautiful little granddaughter." Into the girl's ear she whispered crisply, "Act happy you little witch or you'll pay for it later."

Rhiannon threw up.

*****************

A candlemark after the "reunion", everyone had assembled in the the courtroom for the trial. Xena and Gabrielle sat on the first bench on the left side; Avella, Jorius, and Rhiannon directly across from them on the right. 

It didn't take long for a tense and unforgiving atmosphere to settle over the room. Matthias took a deep breath and took his place at the front. "Everyone ready now?" Brief nods came from around the room.

"Alright. This is the trial for the case of the kidnapping of eight year old Rhiannon," he adressed the group of villagers assembled as the jury.

"Jorius, step up to the bench please." Matthias indicated a rickety wooden chair near to his own seat. 

Jorius did as asked and waited for the judge to continue.

"Do you swear to tell the truth in its entirety while at this bench, so help you gods?"

"Yes." 

"Good. Have a seat." Matthias glanced down at his parchments then over to the elderly man. "Now tell us, what is the charge you're bringing against the defendant?"

"They kidnapped my granddaughter." A pause. "And that woman Xena threatened to kill me." He pointed his bony finger at the raven haired woman. 

Xena in reply tossed a glare up at the man.

"Did anyone witness this threat?" 

"Yessir. My wife was right next to me and there was a group of villagers that saw it, too." 

"Did you bring any of them along to testify?"

"Er, no, sir. You see--"

"Alright. Next question: can you explain how and when you first discovered that Rhiannon was missing?"

"We were staying at an inn in Athens. The last time I saw her before today was when Avella and I tucked her in her bed for the night. When we woke up the next morning she was gone." 

"And when did you meet up with Xena then?" 

"We were traveling through towns and such to try and find our little Rhi when we ran into Xena. She started to tell us that she could help us, but as soon as we were away from the crowds, she cornered my wife and I. She said she had our granddaughter and wouldn't give her back. She wouldn't tell us where she was keeping Rhiannon or why. Then Xena threatened to kill me if I continued to search for her."

"Hmm. That'll be all for now, thank you."

"Avella, would you please step up here?" 

The woman took the bench and answered the judge's questions. Same story mostly, but with much more drama.

Finally, when Matthias could stand no more of Avella's sniffling and half sobbed words, he asked her to return to her seat and called Xena up to the chair of questioning.

After agreeing to tell the truth, Xena sat down and looked over at Gabrielle and Rhiannon. 

"Xena, how did Rhiannon end up in your care?"

"It was destiny, I suppose," the warrior answered cheekily.

Matthias sighed. "Let me rephrase that. Did you kidnap Rhiannon?"

"If you call taking a hurting child out of a life-threatening situation without asking the offenders, then yes." Xena drilled her blue eyes on the judge's time worn face.

"Can you explain that?"

"Rhiannon was abused, plain and simple." A collective gasp from the audience. Xena gave them a wry look. "Not pleasant, is it? No. Well, these things never are. Unfortunately, in Rhiannon's case, its her life story."

"Okay Xena, before you begin preaching to me, could you explain what you mean by abuse?"

"Bruises, marks, scars. She was covered in them when we found her."

"Where did you find her?"

"Gabrielle found her in the stables of the inn Jorius mentioned."

"The stables?"

"Yes. You see, Jorius and Avella never had a bed for Rhiannon in the inn. She was made to sleep in the stables to gaurd the horse."

Rhiannon's grandparents fought to maintain their look of innocence.

"How do you know this?"

"Rhiannon told Gabrielle."

This being the second time that the bard's name came up in the conversation, Matthias decided perhaps she knew more. "I excuse you, Xena. You may return to your seat."

"Before I answer any questions," Gabrielle said, once she'd gotten up there, "I want to say that this was my idea. Xena only went along with it because I begged her to. I don't want her to have to pay for this." She said evenly, avoiding her companion's eyes. She knew if she looked at them, she'd only find disapproval at the statement.

"Gabrielle!"

"Silence," the judge commanded before Xena's protest could go any further. "Now, Gabrielle, what exactly is it that Xena went along with?"

"Taking Rhiannon. She agreed to do it because I persuaded her."

"So, you kidnapped her?"

The bard was hesitant. "Yes."

"Um-hum. Why did you do that? Are you not aware that taking a child out of the gaurdian's custody is illegal and punishable by Greek law?"

"Yes, I'm well aware of that. But like Xena said, Rhiannon had been abused. It was the only thing we could do. It was that or leave her to suffer at the hands of those people you call her grandparents." Anger inched its way slowly into Gabrielle's speech.

"How do you know she was abused?"

"When I first saw her in the stables, I noticed she had lots of bruises on her face and arms. And she looked so very thin. I asked her why she had all those marks, and she told me she'd been hit."

"By who?"

"Jorius and Avella."

"If you thought she was being abused, why didn't you take her to the local authorities in Athens? They could have investigated."

"We offered that idea, but Rhiannon was terrified at the idea of anyone telling what happened to her. She was certain Jorius would kill her."

"So you then decided to fix the problem yourself and take her away."

"That's right. It was the only option." Gabrielle saw the mildly disbelieving look on Matthias' face. "What would you have done?"

"You aren't here to question me." The judge gave the slender woman a serious look. "Do you have anyone that can testify to that abuse?"

"The healer we saw and the amazons."

"You took Rhiannon to a healer?"

"Yes. It was there that we also found out she'd been abused in another way." 

Rhiannon looked down at the cold stone floor and tried not to make eye contact at the townspeople who were staring at her.

"Can you specify?"

"Sexual abuse. Is that specific enough for you?" Gabrielle couldn't help but add with an agitated tone.

"What was the healers name?" 

"Talos."

"So, if you brought him here he'd be able to truthfully say that it was Jorius and Avella that caused the abuse?"

"Well, no...not really. He can testify to the fact that she's been hurt, but he took our word on who it was." Gabrielle just now realized how hopeless the situation was beginning to look.

"Okay. What about the amazons?"

"Um, same thing. They saw the bruises, but it was Xena and I that told them about who it was that caused it."

"So basically, there are people who had seen the marks, but no one had seen Jorius and Avella actually harm Rhiannon. And as for as much as everyone in this courtroom knows about it, you and Xena may have been causing the abuse."

"We never hurt her!" 

From her seat on the bench, Xena wondered if her friend would reach across and hit the judge right then and there.

"How can I know that?"

"Because I'm telling you," Gabrielle said with an incredulous look. 

"Jorius and Avella claim to have never hurt Rhiannon either. Why should I take your word and not theirs?"

"Because I'm telling you the truth, you imbecile!" The bard couldn't help blurting that insult out.

Matthias' eyes narrowed angrily, but he kept a cool head. "But you have no proof to back this up?" Gabrielle was silent and he knew he had his answer.

"Rhiannon, would you please approach the bench?"

"Yessir," she whispered and gratefully extracted herself from her place between Jorius and Avella. She was so thankful to be away from them that she almost smiled. Already twice Jorius had ran his hand along her leg when others weren't looking.

Avella tried her best to stifle her glare as she watched Rhiannon walk up to the front of the room. She was still miffed at the fact that her granddaughter's stomach upset earlier had caused her to go back to the inn and change into another dress.

Matthias gave the child a vague smile and promised to make the questioning as quick as possible. "Is it true that Xena and Gabrielle took you away with them?" 

Rhiannon nodded.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I need a yes or no answer."

"Yes."

"Did you want to go with them?" 

"Yes."

"Why?"

"They're nice," she said quietly, staring down at her hands.

"You just wanted to go with them because they were nice? What about your grandparents? Didn't you like them?"

"Xena and Gabrielle were nicer." 

Matthias saw this question wasn't the right way to approach what he wanted to know. "Rhiannon, did your grandparents ever hurt you?"

Slowly, Rhiannon's gaze skimmed over the faces in the room. Finally, she found the one pair of eyes she had learned to hate. One look at Jorius and her courage crumbled. His phony smile couldn't mask the barely contained fury she knew he was feeling.

"Rhiannon, please answer the question."

Jorius still had the power to render her helpless and there was nothing she felt she could do about it. "No comment."

Xena shook her head. They would lose the case if she wouldn't testify.

Gabrielle gaped at the child. "Rhiannon--"

"Hush!" Matthias interjected. "Let me talk with the jury and we'll reconvene in an hour for the verdict."

************************

The judge rubbed his temples in small circles trying to unlock the tension. The decision had been made, a conclusion reached, and no matter what side he presented the victory to, the other was going to be pissed. 

"Ah, could everyone please quiet down?" He asked after everyone had reassmbled in the courtroom. "We've come to a decision concerning Rhiannon."

The entire room held its breath as Matthias moved to the front and center of the room. He raked his eyes over each of the five faces in the front row. This decision would affect all their lives. 

"The verdict is that the child Rhiannon, in her best interest and saftey, shall be returned to the custody of the prosecutors, Jorius and Avella."

All at once the room erupted in tremendous noise. A snicker from Avella. Measured words of praise from Jorius. "What?!" from Xena. Gabrielle sat in stunned silence and Rhiannon gasped so loudly that it rose above the noise level. 

Others on the benches murmured to one another and tried to keep those in the front from from tearing each other to pieces. 

"No!" Gabrielle yelled.

The judge took a step back to be on the safe side. "They'll be in the village for the next three days under supervision just to be sure things go well."

"They'll hurt her! You can't trust them!" The same tortured look that scared Xena so much came back to Gabrielle's face.

Xena's first reaction was to want to fight. But what good would that do in the long run? Sure, she could fight her way through this crowd, get Rhiannon and get out of there and to another town, another place. What then? Gabrielle, the child, and her would have to live a life on the run for there would always be someone trying to get Rhiannon back. It was too dangerous and no way for the child to live. No, there had to be another way.

Rhiannon was taken out of the courtroom right away by order of the judge. He didn't want her to have to witness the whole scenario. As she left she looked once more at her bard and warrior. She was silent but her eyes screamed, "Help me! Gods, help me!"

Gabrielle lurched out of her seat and dove for Jorius. Had it not been for Xena's lightning quick reflex grabbing her arm, she would have attacked the man with all her strength. "You molested her, you sick bastard!" she shouted, struggling desperately to extract herself from the warrior's hold. 

"Gabrielle! Stop it!" Xena forcefully turned her friend back around. She couldn't believe that her normally gentle companion was so wild with rage. And besides, she knew that one wrong move from her and the judge would see to it that she never saw Rhiannon again. 

The bard turned to stare accusingly at the warrior. "Why the hades are you being so passive about this? Don't you know what he did to Rhiannon? Do I need to spell it out for you?" Her words came out venemously, eyes blazing. 

Xena shot Gabrielle and equally cold look, if only to bring her around. "If you would calm down long enough to think straight, you'd see this wasn't the way to go about this."

"The way to go about this?! Gods, you make it sound like we've got hours to think about this! Well, we don't and--"

"Don't make this harder on Rhiannon than it already is. If you care for her, you'll shut up and act like an adult."

It worked. Gabrielle finally quieted long enough for most of the villagers and others to leave without seeing her make a completely hysterical scene. She turned around and saw Jorius and Avella had gone. She turned back to Xena with an irate look that wasn't neccessarily directed at her. "I swear Xena, if they hurt her I'll kill them. Both of them."

******************

Jorius caught up with Rhiannon who was leaning against the outside of the building, facing the wall, face buried in her hands while she cried. An evil grin crept into his features and he looked around to make sure others were occupied or not paying attention before going over to her. 

"Hey," he said in greeting as he came up next to her. He reached out and ran his hand along the length of her back to her tailbone. "Its okay, you know. You're back with me. I'll take care of you, I always have, haven't I?" 

Rhiannon shuddered violently under his touch. He was doing it again; starting the same old cycle. It always went the same way. First he'd be all sweet and cuddley, then he'd ask her to sit on his lap or give him a hug. The moments of touch lingered too long and before she had a chance to protest, she ended up in his bed. And if she cried or spoke, he'd beat her. It was all starting again. 

"No, please," she whimpered.

"C'mon, its been a long day. Your grandma wants to rest and I think you and I could use a nap too." 

*******************

Gabrielle kept to herself most of the night sometimes stewing in anger, other times breaking into tears. Her face was contorted in an expression that Xena couldn't figure. 

Both of them knew there would be no sleep that night, though if it were possible they would have welcomed it gladly, for the long hours spent in the cell were almost unbearable. 

"What was that?" Xena asked, moving to look at her friend who was leaning up against the stone wall looking out the window. 

"I'm sorry Nicolae," Gabrielle mumbled quietly, her eyes focused on a bright star piercing the black blanket of the sky. She had no idea Xena was even talking to her. 

"Nicolae? Who's that?" Xena's trademark eyebrow lifted as she stared confused at her friend.

The bard didn't answer so absorbed was she in her memory.

"Gabrielle, who's Nicolae? And what does she have to do with anything?" The warrior took her friend's arm and turned her around gently. She sighed when she saw that now all too familiar look on the weary face and the tears in her eyes.

Gabrielle stared at Xena--no, through Xena. "I should have done something. I knew. She knew I knew. She counted on me and I let her down."

"What? Who? This isn't making any sense to me, Gab. C'mon, explain this to me."

The bard just then looked at her companion. "Its all my fault." She pressed a palm to her forhead as if trying to physically push back what she didn't want to think of. "Nicolae was my dearest friend when I was a little girl. We met at a harvest fair in Potedaia when I was nine and she was eight. We were the best of friends and from the day we met were inseperable." She smiled slightly at the remembrance of those lighter days, completely missing Xena's slightly envious look. 

"But the first time I went over to her house I noticed something was strange. Nicolae never really wanted to be there and whenever we were in the house she was as nervous as can be. I didn't understand why right away, especially since her father--that's who she lived with--was so very nice. Or so it seemed."

Xena watched Gabrielle with attentive eyes as she told her story. By this time she already figured what was coming, but she wasn't about to stop her from saying what she obviously so needed to.

"Nicolae never said anything to explain until one day she came over so bruised up on her legs that I couldn't help but question. And she told me. Her story was the same as Rhiannon's. Her father was abusing her and it got really bad when he drank. She made me promise not to tell--and I promised." Half a dozen tears dropped off her chin and onto her chest. "That was the biggest mistake of my life Xena." She looked longingly at the warrior as if there was something the woman could do to justify what she'd done. 

"That promise killed Nicolae. She died two years after I met her. Her father lost his farm in a game when he was drunk so he went home and took it out on her." Gabrielle struggled to breath steadily and not completely break down. "I could have prevented that. I could have told and Nicolae would still be alive today." 

So that was it; Gabrielle's secret, the reason she looked so pained everytime Rhiannon's abuse came up. Xena took Gabrielle's face between her hands like she were a small child, and wiped her tears with her thumb. "Listen to me, that was NOT your fault. You did not kill Nicolae, you were not the one who hurt her."

"But I didn't help her either."

"You did what you thought you should. For gods' sakes, you were just a child then yourself. You couldn't be expected to control another's life--or death"

"I still could have done more." Gabrielle looked into her best friend's eyes. "How do I get over that?" 

Xena slowly removed her hands from Gabrielle's face. "You won't ever get 'over' that. But you have to learn to accept that you did what you thought was right. And the Fates decided that Nicolae should go then. Nothing you would have done could change her destiny." 

"How can a child's destiny be to die so brutally at such a young age?"

"Her death wasn't her destiny, it was only a small element in it. Its said that the gods' put mortals on this earth only long enough for them to do one thing: learn how to love unconditionally. Maybe she learned that from you..and then she could go."

"You think so?"

"I do."

Gabrielle moved away from the window and sat down on the wooden bench on the northside of the cell. "Xena?" she asked after sitting for some time in quiet. "Why do you think I can't be a mother? Or rather, why is it I always seem to mess up the relationships I have? Nicolae, Hope..and now I've broken my promise to Rhiannon to always keep her safe." It wasn't so much a tone of self pity in her voice as confused speculation. 

When Xena was sure her friend was actually speaking to her and not just mumbling another sililoquy, she returned, "Believe me, Gabrielle, we all make mistakes as parents. The gods know I sure have." The warrior's thoughts drifted to her son. "But that doesn't diminish our love. We're mortal, and consequently, not perfect. But our imperfections are what make us beautiful."

"I thought I was the bard."

"You are. Where do you think I learned it?" Xena said with a lopsided grin. "And as for you always messing up relationships..well, that's the sorriest thing I've ever heard. You know that's not true. I could give you the names of more than a dozen people with whom you still have a wonderful friendship." She went over and sat next to her the bard.

"And in case you ever forget how much good you do, just look at this," Xena said as she reached into her leather bodice and retrieved a small object the size of a rock. "This was me before I met you."

Gabrielle looked down at the object in Xena's hand and then glanced back up at her with a "have-you-lost-it?" look. "You were a peach pit before I met you?"

Despite the dreary atmosphere, the older woman couldn't help but chuckle. "No, _I _wasn't. But my heart was. It was as inpenetrable and cold as this seed. But you came into my life and you showed me that this world has more to offer than the blood of others and the lust for money. You showed me light, Gabrielle."

For a woman of few words, Xena was sure putting on a show tonight. The blonde bard offered the first smile she had in the past few days and for a brief moment she was able to evade the gripping fear of what would happen to Rhiannon. "Thanks for telling me that Xena." And partly out of just wanting to get a reaction out her companion, she said, "Couldn't have done it without you."

*******************

The next afternoon about a candlemark after noon, Matthias suddenly happened downstairs. His expression was decidedly grim and it was obvious that he had some news. "Gabrielle, Xena," he said in greeting. Right off the bard's distress was noticed by him and guilt shot through him like an arrow. 

Both women turned their attention to the judge. "Yes?" Xena asked.

"I have some news about Rhiannon."

Gabrielle nearly trampled Xena in order to get up to the bars to hear Matthias better. "What? What is it? Is she alright?"

"What happened?" the warrior echoed with the same intensity.

Half-expecting this reaction he quickly said, "She's alright. A little bruised and shaken up though." He rushed on with the explanation before he got buried in questions. "Rhiannon has been taken out of her grandparents' custody. Jorius' tried to take her to bed again last night, but she fought him and took a pretty good beating for it. A couple in the next room heard the commotion and finally went to check it out. They reported the incident as soon as they saw what happened. Jorius and Avella are upstairs getting sentenced immeadiately. Their punishment will be decided within the hour."

Xena cursed as she slammed a balled up fist into the iron bars. Gabrielle shook her head in shock. "Where's Rhiannon? How is she now?"

"She spent the night in the local infirmary. The healer says she'll be alright and the bruises will be gone in a few weeks." Matthias' face was for the first time showing evident concern and compassion. "Rhiannon should be here soon to meet you two. You can come upstairs to wait for her." He unlocked the cell and swung the door open. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you before."

******************

Though it seemed like an eternity until she arrived, Rhiannon eventually ambled into the smaller of the two courtrooms where Xena and Gabrielle were waiting. To the surprise of everyone, Xena actually beat Gabrielle to the child's side. "Sweetheart, are you alright?" She smoothed the hair away from the girl's eyes to reveal an angry purple bruise staring back at her from around her left eye. Her top lip was a bit swollen and she had a bruise in the shape of crushing fingers around the top of her right arm. 

Rhiannon murmured something incoherently and slid into the safe arms of the warrior. "I was so scared," she said just loud enough to be heard in the woman's ear.

Xena wrapped her arms protectively around the small form. "I know you were. But its all over now. I promise. The judge knows what Jorius did and now he and Avella will be punished."

Gabrielle had by now come up by Xena and placed her hand over Rhiannon's uninjured arm. "You're free now Rhiannon. They can't hurt you again. Matthias won't let it happen." She tossed a glance at the judge as if asking him to verbally confirm it. 

Taking the cue he repeated Gabrielle's words in his own way. Then he looked up at the two women and said, "There will be another meeting in a fortnight to decide where Rhiannon will be placed." From experience with this bunch, he took a few measured steps back. 

"What? Why can't she be with us?" the bard questioned on the brink of another tirade.

Matthias sagged weakly into his chair. "For the love of Zues, please don't fight me on this," he almost begged. "I'm only following the law."

Xena held up a hand to silence her friend, whom she knew would be ready to fire back another round of incesstant questions. "That's fine. We'll see you in a week."

******************

They spent the next two weeks camped outdoors on the outskirts of the village. It was the farthest away they were allowed to get before the next court meeting. But they didn't want to stay in the inn and perpetuate Rhiannon's nightmares by taking her back to the place she'd last been with her grandfather. 

So under the stars the trio camped each night and they stayed at the site most of the day, save for when Gabrielle or Xena went into the main part of the village for small errands. Rhiannon was in a state of constant anxiety to the point that she'd have attacks of hyperventilation at times. She would eat, only because she was asked, would sleep only to appease Morpheus and perhaps be rid of her night terrors, would smile only to make the bard and warrior happy. The child was so frightened of losing the two who had been her refuge that nothing could calm her. These, she thought, may be the last two weeks with them I have. And the time slipped by all too quick.

Sometime during the early part of the first week a young couple came into the campsite. Their names were Ethan and Naarah, a local childless couple who Matthias was considering to let adopt Rhiannon. Rhiannon didn't say much during any of their three visits, though she didn't exactly dislike them. The woman was nice enough, although she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the man. Never again, she thought. Never again.

Before Xena, Rhiannon, or Gabrielle was ready, the day came for them to meet back in the stone building which had become a place of dread since their arrival. Again, the three of them were seated in the front rows of the room. New jury, new opposite party. Across from them in Jorius and Avella's previous spot sat the young couple who had visited them recently. 

Naarah was a young woman of about twenty-four, light brown hair that hung straight and down to her chest, and two dark brown eyes that peeked out from lashes so long Gabrielle thought she must be able to dust furniture with them. Her husband seated on her right side had ear length blond hair that kept falling into his dark blue eyes. With a friendly smile on his face and an air of dignity in his posture, he was the perfect combination of maturity and boyish charm.

Naarah would have liked to go over to the trio of anxious faces and say hello had Matthias not walked in at that moment. Again, the room quieted and the proceedings began. 

On and on he seemed to drone about what was important in this case, and why this had to take place in the first place, etc. Nothing Rhiannon cared an ounce about. All she wanted to hear was the result. It was like holding her breath. All she wanted to do was exhale. The numbing speech and words with almost every letter of the Grecian alphabet in them nearly drove her crazy. She was incredibly tempted to stand up and demand that someone tell her what was going to happen to her when she caught the the tail end of the judge's words, "...of Ethan and Naarah." 

"What?" Rhiannon's head snapped up and she caught the overjoyed look on the young couple's face. She looked up at Gabrielle and Xena. "No..wait. Why are they looking so happy? I'm not going to live with them, am I?" 

"You're going to have a real family," Xena said with a forced smile, trying not to uncover the sting of the verdict she was feeling.

Rhiannon's mouth formed a perfect O and for a long moment she said nothing. Crushed wouldn't have covered what she was feeling. Either would fear. Maybe a crushing feeling of fear...She couldn't cry anymore. She simply didn't have it in her. All she could do was say in a quiet voice, "You and Gabrielle are a real family." The girl looked up at the latter. "Why can't you be my family?"

The bard took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. A fraction of her--that tiny corner in the deep recesses of her heart--was thankful for this decision. No more putting the child in danger by involving her in their nonstop battling life, no more wondering if they were giving the little girl all she needed--food, clothing, happiness. This would be a secure home with two parents in a community with lots of children for her to make friends with. In spite of how much she loved this little addition to her and Xena's lives, she knew it was best for her. That was her source of comfort. 

"You will always be a part my family," Gabrielle finally answered. "Just because you live somewhere else doesn't change that." 

"She's right," said Xena standing up. "I know this is going to be a big adjustment to you, but you're strong Rhiannon. You can do this." She held out her hand and the two walked to the other end of the room to talk in quiet, away from the chatter of the new parents; to have one last chat.

"Xena, I don't want to leave you. Please. Can't you do anything about it?" Rhiannon asked when they were alone, perched on the small couch at the very back of the room. 

Well, it was humanly possible to do something about it, but she wouldn't. Not when she knew this was somehow, a good decision for the girl. "Rhiannon, listen to me." She gently turned the child's chin until their eyes met. "I know that you're scared right now. You feel unsure, worried, like you're lost. But you are not lost. There is a loving couple that is going to be your new family." She caught the protesting look about to make itself clear on the little face. "Yes, we--you, I, and Gabrielle-- will still be family. But Ethan and Naarah are just new editions to that. Just like you made your best friend Ferdi an addition to your family, and she to you. Let them into your heart, Rhi. They're good people." 

"But Ethan. I don't like Ethan." She swallowed hard. "What if he hurts me?"

"He won't hurt you."

"How do you know that?"

"Well, for one, I've met him. I've talked with him each time after he and Naarah visited our camp. He doesn't have it in him to hurt a fly, much less a child. I saw that right away. And besides that, people have checked up on him and his past to make sure he's never hurt anyone before. He's safe, Rhi. You'll see that sooner or later." Xena let a small smile pass over her lips. "I have intuition for things like this. Believe me, I wouldn't let my little girl just be handed over to any old guy. He had to be perfect." 

Rhiannon caught the maternal reference in Xena's words, though the warrior didn't. And she smiled back. Her words were consoling, but that reference was her comfort. She was Xena's little girl. Somehow she felt that no matter how far apart they were, the warrior would always be able to protect her and give her strength. She leaned over and slid her arms around the woman's waist, resting her head against Xena's chest. "Thank you." 

Surprised was a bit of an understatement in Xena's case. She had not anticipated that the child would actually be that accepting about the situation, regardless of what words were said. She smiled and stroked the soft blonde hair that was growing down to the middle of Rhiannon's back. "Anytime, kiddo. Anytime at all."

The two of them remained in silence for awhile simply basking in the warmth of each other's company. Then, after awhile, Rhiannon asked, "Xena? You'll take care of Gabrielle, won't you?"

"I'm sure Gabrielle can take care of herself, but I'll keep an eye on her." She winked. "Why do you sound so worried about her?" 

"Well, I know she's got alot of pain in her heart that she hasn't resolved yet, " Rhiannon said with a knowing look. "Just like we all do. But I think she needs to learn how to share that better with you. I think it would help her." She looked up at Xena. "And you know, Xe, you could work on that yourself."

Meanwhile, Naarah saw this moment as an opportunity to talk with Gabrielle. She made her way quietly over to her and began with a smile, "Hi Gabrielle. May I speak with you?"

"Hm?" The bard lifted her gaze to the woman's face. "Oh, sure. Have a seat." She slid down the bench to make room. 

"Rhiannon sure is a wonderful girl," the new mother said as she sat down. "I'm so happy that we'll be able to take care of her."

Gabrielle nodded slightly. "Yeah. I'm sure you and your husband will make great parents." She looked at Naarah with curiosity. "If you don't mind me asking, why don't you have children of your own?"

Naarah tucked a wisp of hair behind her left ear. "We tried, but I can't have children. I guess the gods didn't choose to bless us in that area," she said with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." She glanced at the child at the back of the room. "I think Rhiannon will be good for you."

Naarah smiled. "Gabrielle, I just want to say thank you. You and Xena have given us so much. We never would have imagined that a child woulld fall into our laps like this, so to speak. We have so much love to give," she said with excitement. It was obvious to the bard that this woman wanted nothing more than to be a parent. "But listen to me rambling like this. I don't want to be insensitive. I know what you must be feeling," she said in a soft and understanding voice.

Gabrielle smiled at the woman, feeling more certain than ever that there was no place better for Rhiannon to be. "It was our pleasure. We loved having her with us."

Ethan now wandered over to the two women chatting. "Hi there Gabrielle." He smiled creating two perfect dimples in his tanned cheeks. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I just thought we should be leaving soon since its almost dinner time. And I know you want to get Rhiannon settled in," he said to his wife. 

"You're right," Naarah agreed and stood up.

"Wait," Gabrielle interjected as she rose to her feet. A wave of urgency to fill them in about Rhiannon's likes and dislikes hit her suddenly. "You need to know some details about Rhiannon." 

The couple waited patiently for her to continue.

"For one, she still has nightmares frequently; especially if she doesn't have her amazon dream catcher near her. She likes to be read to or cuddled back to sleep when that happens." The bard made it sound like they were taking an infant home and not a child of eight years. "Rhi always wears that friendship necklace of hers, so don't ask her to take it off. And asparagus--she hates it. Except if you cut it into small pieces and--"

Naarah chuckled softly and reached out to take the bard's hands in her own. "Gabrielle, she'll be fine. I'm sure she'll clue us in to all these things as they come up."

"That's right," Ethan chimed in. "We'll make sure we get all those specifics from her. And we'll avoid giving her asparagus, in any form," he added with a twinkle in his eye.

Gabrielle nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. Its just..."

"We know."

"So, will Xena and I be able to visit her at all?"

"Of course. Feel free to come see her any time you're in the area."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," said Naarah with a smile, releasing Gabrielle's hands.

"Hi," Rhiannon started quietly, coming up beside the bard.

"Hi honey," Naarah said with a warm smile. 

"Why don't we leave you two to say your goodbyes alone, huh?" Ethan smiled down at the child and then at Gabrielle before leading his wife away.

The blonde haired woman knelt down in front of the doe-eyed child and smiled encouraingly at her. "Do you like your new parents?  


Rhiannon shrugged noncomittally. "They're alright. But like I said to Xena, I'd rather be with you."

"I know you would. But now you'll have a real mother and a loving father. You'll live in a nice house with a room of your own. And I'm sure you'll meet lots of new friends here. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"I guess." Then abruptly she threw her arms around the bard's neck. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too, Rhi. But I want what's best for you. This is best, I'm sure of it. Trust me."

"I always have." The girl let go of the woman and removed the bag she carried on her back. She set it on the bench annd removed a wrapped object. "This is that gift I wanted to give Fernanda. Could you please give it to her? I don't know when I'll see her again."

Gabrielle took the package and placed it gingerly in her lap. "You bet I will."

"Rhiannon, my dear, are you ready?" Naarah called from a few yards away.

"Just a moment," she called back.

"You be a brave girl, ok?" Gabrielle said gently. 

The child bit her lip and tried not to let her emotions run away with her. "I'll try."

"Don't cry, Rhi," the bard soothed. "This is _not _goodbye. This is just so long for now." This time she began the embrace. "I love you, Rhiannon."

"I love you more."

"Wanna bet?" She returned with the most light-hearted look she could muster. Gabrielle held the child for just a moment longer before releasing her from her arms, while in her heart she held her all the tighter. "Go ahead now. They're waiting for you."

Rhiannon stared at the woman for a a lingering minute, her large blue eyes desperately trying to convey the thanks she couldn't say with words. Then, before it became too hard to turn away at all, she picked up her bag and walked over to Ethan and Naarah's sides. 

"We'll see you two around soon, I hope," Ethan said with a smile. He and Naarah took Rhiannon's hands and began to lead her out of the room. Just in the doorway though, the blonde haired child paused, removed one hand from her new parent's grasp, and turned to blow the warrior and bard a kiss that they would forever keep in their memories.

***********************

Not long after Rhiannon left, Gabrielle and Xena said goodbye to Matthias and began their trek back to camp. Both felt something of a gap in their hearts, already missing the sound of the little girl's chatter and the look of her smile. Nonetheless, it was silently agreed between them to pick up and keep going on as they had before her arrival. And both felt that in spite of the pain of missing the little one, Rhiannon had left them with more than they had before she came.

"What about Jorius and Avella?" Xena asked suddenly, glancing sideways at her companion. "I'm surprised you didn't want to go give them a piece of your mind before leaving." She had her own reasons for not wanting to go downstairs to the jail to see them. She felt it would only aggravate the anger toward them she had and it wouldn't accomplish anything. The warrior was only thankful that their sentences were giving them what they so rightly deserved.

"A piece of my mind?" Gabrielle laughed dryly. "Believe me, if I went down there I'd have come back with a piece of their heads. When I said that I'd kill them if they ever hurt Rhiannon again, I wasn't exactly kidding. I don't think I could go down there and face that wretched man and not pummel him half to death." She couldn't prevent the smirk that tugged at the corner of her lips. "But the main reason was that I know, somewhere deep inside my heart, that Rhi will have to learn how to forgive him or she'll never heal. How could I help teach her what forgiveness is if I ended his life?" 

Xena nodded. "Well, you've got to have alot of will power to not go and do that. Believe me, when you want vengence its hard to settle for less." She thought back to her younger days when she would have executed Jorius on the spot. Still, as much as she hated the man, she knew that killing him wasn't the answer. Her instinct had been right all along. No, killing him would have been too easy of a way out. His court assigned punishment of being sent to a place in Crete where the worst criminals are beaten down and forced to become slaves of every conceivable form of labour was better. Maybe a few years under the blows of an iron whip and nearly intolerable conditions would straighten him out. Or at least give him a hearty taste of his own vile medicine.

"Think Rhiannon will be alright?" Gabrielle asked after awhile. She glanced up from the road to look at the sky. It was rapidly changing from light blue to a dazzling display of vibrant oranges, reds, and purples as the glowing disk slid lazily over the hills in the distance. 

"I'm sure she will. Ethan and Naarah are good people. Rhi will learn to adjust to them as she did to us." Xena followed her best friend's gaze to the sunset. "What about you Gabrielle? Are you going to be okay?"

"I will, sooner or later. I know I have to work on some forgiving, of others and myself, but it'll come eventually." Gabrielle thought of Rhiannon and smiled. She would be forever touched by those tiny hands and great big heart. "I've learned humans are capable of feeling and doing amazing things. And that a child shall lead them to it."

The End

   [1]: mailto:gkehring@tds.net



	4. Fragile Innocence Epilogue

FragileInnocence

Fragile Innocence

by [Gabby Bard ][1]

Epilogue 

Although it took some time, Rhiannon adjusted to her role as daughter in her new family. Naarah and Ethan were kind and loving, and as soon as she realized that Ethan was truly not a threat, she became very close to both of them. Still, her favorite time of the year was the annual trip Xena and Gabrielle made to their home in Delphi. 

They always stayed a fortnight (for any longer would make goodbyes all the more painful) bringing with them small gifts, exciting stories, but most of all their love. It was always the quickest two weeks of the year. 

The tradition continued for the next nine years until a few weeks after Rhiannon's seventeenth birthday. The duo was late in coming and it worried her. What could have happened? she frequently thought. 

A month after she began to worry about her friends, she got an unexpected visitor. She was outside grooming Freedom when a very familiar figure on a horse rode toward her. 

Stopping a few feet from the girl, the woman lifted her tribal mask and began to speak. "Are you Rhiannon?"

"Yes..." she replied cautiously and set the horse's brush down. Who was this woman? She looked so very familiar.

"Wow, I can't believe its you," the visitor blurted out.

"Eh, do I know you?"

"Its me, Ephiny. From the amazon village?"

Remembrance hit her like a bucket of cold water. "Ephiny! My gods, its great to see you again!" They embraced lightly. "But what are you doing here? Did Gabrielle and Xena send you? They're late in visiting this summer and I haven't seen them."

Ephiny's eyes dropped to the ground. "That's why I'm here. Rhiannon, I don't know how to tell you this..."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"They passed away a few days ago."

"What? How?" A hundred emotions hit her at once.

"In a battle against a large army of barbarians that tried attacking the village. On the battlefield Gabrielle was fighting very well until a soldier caught her off gaurd from behind, leaving her unable to fight and seriously injured. Xena, of course, rushed to her side when another man approached, trying to deflect the blow." She spoke with respectful quietness. "It worked. She was killed instantly before I or anyone else could do anything about it. Gabrielle passed not long after."

"Oh my gods..." Rhiannon brought a hand to her mouth a look of unbelief was evident on her face. 

"The better side to this, if there is a better side," Ephiny continued, "is that they died together, the way they both wanted. Everyone knew how one couldn't bear life without the other."

Before the young woman could say anything, the regent queen went on. "I came to give you these." She handed Rhiannon a scroll and Gabrielle's amazon staff. "The scroll is the written proof of your right of caste. You're the Queen now."

By Zues, that was alot of information to get in thirty seconds. Rhiannon blinked blearily, still reeling from the news of her friends' deaths. "So, what does this mean? You're saying I'm the new queen of Amazonia?"

"That's right, if you so choose. Otherwise, you may pass on your right of caste to someone else." Ephiny could see the girl was drowning in the depth of news just given her. "Well, why don't you come back with me to the village for awhile? You can attend Gabrielle and Xena's funeral fires and while you're there you can decide whether or not you want to stay. Its entirely up to you." 

Rhi didn't need much persuasion. For awhile now she had been thinking of making a visit back there and now the window of opportunity was opening. She told Ephiny to wait there for her while she went inside the quaint house than had become her home for almost the past decade. She sighed, wishing Naarah or Ethan was home right now to tell them goodbye. But they weren't and she didn't have time to waste. 

The teen rumaged around through a drawer until she found enough parchment and ink to write the a note of explanation--and farewell. Maybe its easier this way, after all, she thought with a sense of regret as she left the completed letter on the counter. Goodbyes never were easy. At least she could count on the fact that she knew her mother and father would be understanding about her choice. 

"Okay, I think I'm ready now," Rhiannon announced to Ephiny as she came out of the hut with a small bag of belongings. 

********************

It took the two of them almost a week to get to Amazonia, but when they did Rhiannon recognized it right away. "I can't believe it. Everything looks the same. Gods, I didn't realize how much I've missed it," she commented and dismounted Freedom.

The older amazon smiled. "Home sweet home, eh?"

Rhiannon agreed enthusiastically. "Sure is." They led their horses into the village and she noticed many women looking toward her and whispering. "Think they remember me?"

"Of course. We never forgot you, ya know."

"Hey, who's that?" Rhi asked noticing a face in the mass of amazons that her heart knew but mind couldn't recall.

"What? You mean you don't know?" Ephiny replied with an incredulous look. She point to the blonde's necklace. "Does that ring a bell?"

"Oh my...you can't be serious!"

"Go see for yourself."

Rhiannon handed Ephiny the reins to her horse and shyly made her way over to the woman who was stringing a bow. She stood a few feet off, watching her for a few minutes in awe. Her best friend was everything she could remember; full of poise, determination, and beauty. Some things never change. 

"Eh, Fernanda?"

The brunette turned around to see who called her name. Before she could ask the person's name her eyes fell upon Rhi's necklace. She recognized it right off the bat. "Ye gods above! Is that you Rhiannon?"

So taken aback at by the instant recognition, the girl could only nod slightly. Then, in the next instant, without even putting much thought into it, the long seperated best friends came together in an embrace. 

"I told you I'd be back someday," Rhiannon said with a grin.

**************

Two days later Rhiannon sat in a large, but sparsely decorated hut in the company of Xena and Gabrielle--or better put, their ashes. That morning had been their funeral fires and the amazons were in a state of mourning. 

For Rhi personally, today had been a turning point. She had learned a whole new level of grief that was in some way compounded by a determination and zeal to live her life the best she could. Today she decided she would put to use the gift the bard had given her when she was young, and become queen. It wasn't a hard decision to make, her heart knew this was home.

"I'm not exactly sure how to deal with the fact of you two being gone," the teenager began after some time. "It seems so unbelievable to me. You two always were invincible in my eyes, like you could rise above any tragedy and succeed. But maybe if you two are together now, it really is a success. I know you two always wanted to be together, even in death." 

Rhiannon distractedly played with the hem of her skirt. What could she say to them? "I'm going to be Queen," she offered. "Wow, huh? Me, Rhiannon, an amazon queen."

"You know, I never would be where I am today without the both of you. You risked your lives and your hearts to shelter and nurture me. You opened up a world for me that I never thought I'd learn to see, and you freed me from a violence I didn't understand." 

Then, for the first time in the past nine years, she allowed herself to take a risk--she allowed herself to think of Jorius and Avella for more than a few minutes. There wasn't so much a fear in her when she thought of them now as pity. She had heard a few years back that her grandfather had killed himself at his prison in Crete. She used to like to think that the guilt became too much for him and compelled him to throw himself off that cliff, but in all truth she didn't know. As for Avella, the last thing she heard about the old woman, she was working as a servant for a king in Macedonia.

None of their punishment matter to Rhiannon anymore. Somehow, she was able to forgive her grandmother and granfather of what they did. She wasn't sure how she forgave them or when, but she knew it'd happened once the nightmares completely left and she felt a peace in her heart that was never there before. They aren't worth it, Rhi, she used to tell herself. They don't deserve to take up that much of your life by hating them. The best way to get even is to forgive.

"Xena," the new blonde haired queen said, once she pulled herself out of her memoires. "Your strength and courage inspired me to stand up for myself. It was you who taught me that my grandparents only had power over me if I let them." She looked at the warrior's urn affectionately. "And you taught me not to try and hide the real me. Thank you for all the faith and trust you placed in me."

"And you," Rhiannon went on, flicking her gaze over to Gabrielle's. "Oh, what can I say? You were the mother of my heart." She took a deep breath to get a handle on her composure. "You loved me when no one else would and were so incredibly selfless when it came to my needs. I can't count the times you held me when I felt the world around me was crumbling. You're a hero, Gabrielle. A hero in the life of a hurting child. Thank you."

"Rhi? I was wondering--" Ephiny began to enter the hut when she saw the young woman was in the middle of something. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to talk to you about the crowning ceremony. It can wait though." She flashed a empathetic smile at her before going back through the curtain.

"I'll be out in a minute, Ephiny. Thanks." She hastily swiped away her tears and turned back to her friends. 

"I know that 'thank you' is so inadequate," she said regretfully. "I could never repay you enough for everything you have done, both of you. That's why I'm going to try to live out your legacies as well as I can. I'm going to do my best to display your strength, Xena; and Gabrielle, I promise I'll be the best amazon queen that I can possibly be. You two will always be in my heart and I know I'll be with you again someday."

Rhi brought her fingertips of both hands to her lips and then placed them lightly on each urn. She stood and looked down at the tall clay pots with a steady gaze. "I love you."

There was nothing left to say. Rhiannon turned around and with her head held high, ready to face the world and everything within it, she left the hut to join her tribe and the new life that awaited her. 

For the first time in her life, she felt free.

_For Katy. Wherever you are in this world, little one, _

I pray you have found peace and love.

_____________

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